I'm pretty sure the slave owning southern elite sending young men fighting to the bloody death to defend their right to hold a human being as property are the bad guys of the American Civil War, and not simply guys with "a different point of view."

I liked the direction Lucas was going with the "point of view" angle regarding the Sith in the prequels, but the problem is that it doesn't work, and could never work. The OT is a classic good versus evil story full of moral absolutism, and however the Sith were portrayed in the prequels, in the end The Emperor/Empire is not much more than a typical Evil Organziation that you find in many sci-fi/fantasy works. They want power, and they don't mind doing bad things to get it. Plus they may do bad things for little practical purpose.