Arguments for why Confederate statues should be removed include the Confederacy's shameful history of treason and white supremacy, as well as the original purpose of these statues, which was to intimidate Black Americans while celebrating white power. Like, FDR, after all, was responsible for the internment of Japanese American citizens. These are various statues across the US which honor Confederate leaders or "heroes". He was not forgotten or disgraced, but he was not a forgotten figure because he was one of Venezuelas most revered rulers. Several years have passed since the debate over the removal of Confederate statues began. As Rod Dreherargues in The American Conservative,Americans should not make the same mistakes as France. Explain your answers. He was also an abolitionist, though a hypocritical and pragmatic one who understood the country would not give up slavery so easily. Washington owned over 300, Jefferson over 600, and Grant worked on his wifes family plantation and inherited one slave upon his father-in-laws death. Make sure to visit the Southern Poverty Law Centers Whose Heritage: Public Symbols of the Confederacy resource. They are usually constructed to commemorate momentous events or important figures in history. [47] Do we exclude the achievements of these figures from public display because they displayed controversial behavior? GORDON-REED: Ha! In the United States, Confederate monuments are erected as public displays to commemorate the Confederate States of America, its soldiers and leaders. The toppling of Edward Colston's statue in Bristol has led to a heated debate about memorialisation and what those statues say about their respective societies. 2. PRO A 2018 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center found there are more than 1,700 monuments to the Confederacy still in public spaces. I think the problem with that is that the balance of power in communities can be really problematic. Its a pleasure to be a part of the politics of Los diferentes estrellas de la Avenida. He freed that slave. Theres a reason Christians in Rome didnt topple all the pagan statues and buildings in the city, or raze the Colosseum. [36], Each Confederate monument is a reminder not only of the Civil War and the end of slavery, but the assertion of the federal governments dominance over states rights, as well as the persistence of systemic racism. There are far more dangerous threats to history. There are statues of people all over the place, and they should be removed. During the global Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, calls to take down the statues were met with citizens not only actively damaging or removing statues of Confederate figures, but targeting statues of slave-holding Founding Fathers in general, as well as historic monuments to Abraham Lincoln and abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass. The statues can be kept without glorifying what they once stood for. Many people believe that these statues and monuments are inciting white supremacy and promoting violence. On the other hand, others argue that they are offensive and should be removed. The annual Aneurin Bevan lecture is held at the Hay Festival every year. A common type of monuments in this situation are the Confederacy monuments. Chan School of Public Health celebrates opening of $25M Thich Nhat Hanh Center for research, approaches to mindfulness, Women who suppressed emotions had less diverse microbiomes in study that also found specific bacterial link to happiness, Tenn. lawmaker Justin Pearson, Parkland survivor David Hogg 23 talk about tighter gun control, GOP attempts to restrict voting rights, importance of local politics, Dangers involved in rise of neurotechnology that allows for tracking of thoughts, feelings examined at webinar, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Those who disagree with the beliefs upheld by the statues should work to understand the history these monuments represent, rather than trying to simply remove them and the history from sight. Should Confederate Monuments Be Removed. [32]. Politics, national security, and occasional nerdery. According to the poll, in August 2017, 39% supported the removal of Confederate statues compared to 52% who wanted to get rid of them in June. In recent years, there has been a movement to take down statues of historical figures who have been accused of racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry. And there was a real concern about assimilating these immigrants into you can call it Americanization, but what it really was was an assimilation into white, Protestant culture. It has also been suggested that statues shouldn't be removed but new plaques could be added which explain why the person is controversial, for example reflecting both the good and bad things. GREENE: Oh, so actually edit the arrangement of the statues. The removal of Confederate monuments is usually around $1.8 million in total, but this varies by location. And I think most Civil War historians have been against Confederate statues - if not removal, at least with contextualization. One claim for not removing certain statues of people who have committed egregious acts is that we should not treat people of another time as if they were second-rate citizens. Here in Washington, D.C., last night, protesters in Lafayette Square right by the White House tried to take down a statue of President Andrew Jackson. 4. It would be odd for me to condone other people doing something I would not do. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Monuments of Hope, Memorials to a Poisoned Past, britannica.com, May 25, 2018, 23. A: Thats such a complex issue. [26]. I was really dismayed to see the statue of Grant, especially, come down because Grant was never comfortable with owning that one slave that was given to him by his father-in-law. Effective Ways to Save on your Mobile Data, The Law Enforcement Exception To The Use Of Deadly Force, Swearing At Police Officers Is Not Appropriate In Massachusetts, Everything You Need To Know About Car Insurance Companies And Police Reports, The Police In Nigeria Have The Authority To Arrest Without A Warrant Under Certain Circumstances. From a religious/Christian. The Shepherd monument would not have been returned to the National Park Service if it did not provide interpretive signs and returned it to its rightful owner. They harbored cultural bias. Who Jefferson Davis was. Basically any time a new government or regime or religion comes in, stuff gets torn down, temples get sacked. In later years, Lee alsodistinguished himself as an educator: As president of the institution that is nowWashington and Lee University, he was largely responsible for fashioning the modern college honor code. In several cities, these tributes have been vandalized or torn down by protestors or removed by public officials. Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the demolition of statues of heroes who, from one day to the next, appear to follow the exploits of the Egyptian Pharaohs. Common faults are, by definition, common. GAZETTE:As a law professor, what is your view on people unilaterally deciding to pull down statues they find offensive after officials often enjoined by laws or judicial rulings barring such action decline to do so? Take away anything that smacks of the sort of imperialist legacy which clearly that statue embodies. The campaigns demise was both sad and pathetic. No logr derribarla. Mount Vernon, Slavery, mountvernon.org (accessed July 7, 2020), 40. There are statues being targeted of people like Ulysses S. Grant, of people like President George Washington, who were not involved in the Confederacy. It started in the 1890s with the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago. SINHA: Exactly. Consider appealing to the American Alliance of Museums for the use of the statues removed from public display. The movement against him is part of a wider drive to get rid of monuments to figures who are now. Confederates died defending slavery as an institution. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. However, they have also been the centre of much heated debates surrounding their significance. Some jurisdictions have placed explanatory plaques beside Confederate monuments to teach a more complete history of the Confederacy. This equates to 1.57 jobs, $76,000 in wages and $14,101 in tax revenues for every 1,000 tons of material recycled. Caleb Parke, From George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant: Statues, Monuments Vandalized Extend beyond Confederates amid Black Lives Matter Protests, foxnews.com, June 22, 2020, 13. Theres one school of thought that says communities should be the ones to decide. In fact, even Robert E. Lee opposed Confederate statues . Disputation in the political sphere is difficult to come by. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Yet, this is not the first time . Go toProCon.orgto learn more. There are many other people who deserve statues that better represent the countrys historical progress and diversity. https://www.britannica.com/story/pro-and-con-historic-statue-removal-in-the-united-states, According to theSouthern Poverty Law Center. Hannah Natanson, Theres a New Way to Deal with Confederate Monuments: Signs That Explain Their Racist History, washingtonpost.com, Sep. 22, 2019, 53. There are a variety of reasons why Confederate monuments should be removed from public spaces. What purpose do they serve in society? All rights reserved. These figures were not commonly known to be ridden by equestrians. Of those who support the idea in the latest poll, 84% . What Should Take Their Place? Activists are campaigning for a statue of Cecil Rhodes to be removed from an Oxford college. George Martin, Why Confederate Monuments Should Be Preserved and Honored, charlotteobserver.com, July 6, 2017, 38. Or they go up because of T.J.s views on separation of church and state and other values that we hold dear. In particular, a lot of our civic buildings our courthouses, our state capitals, even our public squares and parks are in the neoclassical style. Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity. McCarthy to Russian reporter: I do not support what your country has done to Saudi alfalfa sparks tension in Arizonas Sonoran Desert, Rice's departure brings relief to immigration advocates, Watch live: White House monkeypox response team holds briefing, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Also removed from the monuments base was a 133-year-old copper time capsule containing artifacts and ephemera related to the Confederacy. They did, though, own slaves. In a 5-4 vote, the court rejected the Trump administration's push to end an Obama-era program that gives nearly 700,000 Dreamers the ability to work in the United States and avoid deportation. They serve as a constant reminder of who we are and what we believe in. Lawrence A. Kuznar, PhD, Professor of Anthropology at Indiana UniversityPurdue University Fort Wayne, stated that removing Confederate statues is a whitewashing of our history that destroys our ability to remember inconvenient truths from our past. We disregard or discount those faults common to the individuals time and place. Last modified on July 14, 2022. The Confederate Monument to Robert E. Lee Is Removed from Its Perch, Creative Commons, May 19, 2017, While the debate whether Confederate statues should be taken down has been gaining momentum for years, the issue gained widespread attention after the June 17, 2015, mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The interpretations have been contradictory, and the results are presented in the form of commentaries. procon@eb.com, 2023 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. The United States was far from perfect, but the values of the Confederacy, open and unrepentant white supremacy and total disregard for the humanity of black people, to the extent they still exist, have produced tragedy and discord. They can be seen as a form of propaganda. The concept of La Raza -as* -as* is based on the idea that all latinos are united in EEUU and that they are committed to aquella tradition. Several years have passed since the debate over the removal of Confederate statues began. They must be removed, according to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). A high-profile decision to tear down a famous bronze figure of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Va., was halted by a court challenge, which was extended indefinitely on Thursday. They are also a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for the Confederacy and a symbol of Southern heritage. 1. Natalie Huet, Sir Geoff Palmer, Dont Take down Statues - Take down Racism, euronews.com, June 11, 2020, 54. A petition in Tennessee gained 22,736 signatures (and counting as of July 8, 2020) to replace all Confederate statues in the state, including the statue of Confederate Army General and KKK Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest that stands in the states capitol building, with statues of Dolly Parton. Confederate symbols and flags have been removed from public display in the South since the end of the Civil War. The Confederates lost the war, the rebellion. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Confederate monuments, in our society, are an artifact from an era gone wrong. I got more interested in the U.S. history of monuments when I started to look around and wonder where all the neoclassical buildings came from. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. A similar scenario unfolded in 1918 in France, when the imperios took advantage of the French Revolution to gain power. A statue of Cecil Rhodes being removed from the University of Cape Town campus, South Africa, 2015. Ashlie D. Stevens, As Confederate Monuments Come down, What Should Replace Them?, salon.com, June 17, 2020, 27. Since Black Lives Matter protests began in response to Columbuss legacy, a number of statues of him have been removed. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [54], According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), 59 Confederate statues and nine markers or plaques were removed from public land in 19 US states between June 17, 2015 and July 6, 2020. The removal of Confederate statues is a painful reminder of the countrys racist past and present. Sarah Fling, The Formerly Enslaved Household of the Grant Family, whitehousehistory.org, Apr. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. Jos Vasconcelos and Jos Enrique Rod have been appointed as ambassadors, and they have been actively involved in the work of the United Nations. GREENE: You said something interesting. In the modern-day case of the removal of U.S. monuments that many argue commend white supremacy and colonialism, the shift in power could be seen as from those who deny the racist overtones of such structures or who maintain that some monuments have historical or aesthetic value worth preserving to those who embrace a national culture of inclusion. Because civil rights groups have grown in prominence, the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) dedicated a monument to Shepherd, a so-called faithful slave. BBC, Confederate and Columbus Statues Toppled by US Protesters, bbc.com, June 11, 2020, 21. Those who argue against keeping political statues in public spaces typically make the following points: 1. The SPLC reported at least 160 monuments were removed in 2020 after George Floyds death, more than the prior four years combined At last count, about 704 Confederate monuments remained on public land. If there are statues of black Americans in the future, such as Kehinde Wileys 2019 statue of a black man riding horseback in a pose similar to those of Confederate statues, they could be built. We shouldn't shy from the fact that many of these men were slave owners, but we should also be able to judge each case individually. If we disqualified all figures because we now reject their societys practices, we would commemorate few people indeed, and we would deprive ourselves of many sources of inspiration. ProCon.org. The statues in major British cities are being reviewed. [26] A monument to the victims of slavery has also been suggested. No one puts a monument up to Washington or Jefferson to promote slavery. Latisha Jensen, Portland Man Describes Tearing Down Thomas Jefferson Statue: Its Not Vandalism, wweek.com, June 20, 2020, 12. The ornaments do not represent the history of the world; rather, they represent what the past chose to celebrate and commemorate. Many of the men with whom George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ulysses S. Grant were associated at the time were slaves. Amanda Holpuch, Ed Pilkington, and Oliver Laughland, Charleston Shooting: Confederate Flag at Heart of Growing Political Storm, theguardian.com, June 20, 2015, 4.