The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his mount, Traveler, face the setting sun on Monument Ave. in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. The removal of the confederate statues has its pros and cons … © 2020 American Historical AssociationThe American Historical Association encourages continued public debate about monuments to Confederate leaders and about the public spaces and buildings named after those individuals, as well as the role of Confederate flags in public culture. Almost two years after New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu called for the removal of four Confederate statues from public spaces around the city, the process finally got … The Confederate soldiers were the separatists who did not want to obey their country’s policies. The United States should not continue to honor or memorialize them. What I fear is the hatred we see in real time in 2017 on social media and in our political rhetoric. The question of whether a Confederate monument in Forest Park should be removed was explored on our weekly Behind the Headlines segment amid … These statutes have been around for a very long time and no one has cared. Municipal workers attempt to remove paint from a monument dedicated to Confederate soldier John B. Castleman that was vandalized late Saturday night in … Students covered the Rhodes statue with graffiti and plastic bags, and promised to demonstrate until it was removed. Police stopped these protesters, but statues are coming down around the U.S., yanked down or removed by local governments. Kialo requires JavaScript to work correctly. Cons. Annotation Recommended Annotation Visible only to you . The removal of Confederate monuments and symbols will not cure our social ills. This was the second of four Confederate monuments slated for removal in a contentious process that has sparked protests from both sides. ... Cons Although the statues mark an important part of history, their upkeep is paid for by taxpayers. Contrary to comments from President Trump and others characterizing the removal of Confederate monuments as rewriting history, their removal corrects history. ** This article was originally published in July 2015. How about with people who took up arm… The Confederate statues can easily remind the victims of civil war or slavery what they went through and how they were treated. This was…, In 1944, Don A. Balfour walked into a meeting with a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) official, discharge papers in hand, demonstrating his…, Imagine what would happen if the food safety standards set by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were ign…. … The power to take down statues also is the power to control history and thus, to. Should Confederate Statues Be Taken Down? The majority (62 percent) of America ’s reader sample told us that Confederate statues should be removed from public spaces and moved to new locations, like … This Confederate memorabilia is just part of the "Lost Cause" myth perpetuated by CSA General Jubal Early a generation after Appomattox - appealing to heroism fighting against hopeless odds to defend "the southern way of life" (whatever that is). The Pros and Cons of the Confederate Flag The Confederate Flag was the spark of controversy over the course of 2015. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. PRO: A Historian's Plea for the Removal of Confederate Statues, Would the removal of Confederate statues from public spaces be a mistake? You can cancel at any time. May 16, 2017 May 16, 2017; 0 {{featured_button_text}} The statue of Confederate … One comes around the turn of the 20th … You have permission to edit this article. Since the 19th century, nurses have been at the forefront of health care, answering the call to ensure the well-being of the people within the…, Since the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol by an angry mob, any number of people have asked me to put that unsettling event in historical pe…, Two days after the 2020 election, a defiant Kathy Griffin retweeted the notorious picture of her holding a prop that looked like the bloody he…, In a year in which American constitutional democracy has faced the dual challenges of COVID-19 and false attacks on our elections’ legitimacy,…, In the aftermath of the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Eric Metaxas of Liberty University’s Falkirk Center angrily demanded, “Give …, Although Virginia ranks near the top of a variety of national indicators, it ranks poorly (37th) in access to mental health services. Removing or renaming Confederate memorials/monuments presents a slippery slope wherein eventually any memorial linked to the colonial era or other problematic legacies could be considered representative of oppression, and thus deserving of eradication. Since this fundamentally conflicts with American values and ideas, they should be removed. Should the US Pay Reparations for Slavery? PRO: These monuments should be removed because they honor slavery and segregation. For decades, there has been a lot of controversy regarding the removal of confederate monuments. He argues that all have complicated histories, all did bad as well as good, and therefore there is no logical reason to remove statues of some but not others. John A. Ragosta column: What would Patrick Henry say? The flag was eventually taken down from the monument after the state legislature ordered its removal, distention among a nation? The confederacy usually had a united body coexisting although they maintain their different identities. The Confederate battle flag has come down from the State House grounds of South Carolina, and the National Park Service has removed the flag from all battlefields where it flew, sparking a debate between those for whom the flag carries hurtful connotations and others for whom it represents family and the land they love. Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. There are three reasons why I would not want them removed. PRO AND CON: Should Confederate monuments be removed? On the contrary, these campaigns to remove American history just distract from the core issues plaguing our society. Start studying PRO/CON: Should cities be allowed to take down Confederate monuments?. The principal legacy of Confederate statues is white supremacy and slavery. They were uncontested earlier and therewith became a part of our society. It is too divisive in modern day America to continue to display these monuments from a painful part of American history. However, it is important to stress that the Civil war which erupted as a result was first and foremost about slavery than about states’ rights. Should the United States Invade Syria and Remove Bashar al-Assad from Power? Worse than his response is that of Georgia Republican candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said that black people should be proud to look at Confederate statues when they see them. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Independent Contractor (Newspaper Carrier), A Historian's Plea for the Removal of Confederate Statues, Let’s start a new conversation on Confederate symbols, Dawn M. Adams column: It's time for Virginia to enter the current century: Modernize nursing, Charles F. Bryan Jr. column: Demagoguery and the great insurrection, Victor Davis Hanson column: Assault on the Capitol has let loose the electronic octopus, Schuyler VanValkenburg column: Protecting democracy in Virginia. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner asked city staff to compile an inventory of Confederate statues and make recommendations about whether they should be removed … then {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}} per month. The US should remove Confederate memorials, flags, and monuments from public spaces. These confederate statues and monuments should be removed because those people did not do anything to build the country. Pros: 1. The Confederate statues are not the cause of the racial education gap, wage disparities, unemployment, crime, drug use or other problems the black community faces. The removal of the confederate statues has its pros and cons as to why they should take them down. PRO AND CON: Should Confederate monuments be removed? However, there are varied opinions on this matter with the majority opposing the move to remove them. People voiced their opinions on whether or not the Confederate should be made illegal in the United States. Confederate monuments, flags and memorials honor an important part of the American story. The principal legacy of Confederate statues is white supremacy and slavery. Do people have a right to not wear a mask in public spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic? 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. AP Photo. Why are Confederate statues being removed? Not surprisingly, a recent Morning Consult-Politico poll shows only 32 percent of respondents favor the removal of Confederate statues. For the confederacy to work, the confederate states should have an agreement on a particular issue. The removal in recent years of several monuments depicting Confederate leaders and other controversial historical figures by both politicians and unsanctioned activists have generated debate over whether their removal is justified. Each side makes intelligent arguments, however not any one side must be considered completely right. There are even US states which have prohibited or restricted alteration of the confederate monuments. REPLY. The statue had drawn criticism before, but none of … Unable to save at this time. Since this fundamentally conflicts with American values and ideas, they should be removed. 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. Confederate Monuments are statues of the confederate leaders who took part in the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865. At last count, 754 Confederate monuments remain on public land across 26 states, including 230 statues of Robert E. Lee. The Onion looks at the pros and cons of removing historical statues. Bernstein compares memorialized Confederate figures, such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, to slave-owning presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, as well as British colonialists Cecil Rhodes and Winston Churchill. Confederate monuments and memorials were built across the United States for several years. Thus causes conflicts between them and those who made them went through what they went through. Yes it should be removed. “It is a good thing that they took it down because it did cause such a riot. Pros. Brophy contends that the removal of Confederate monuments would “quite literally, erase an unsavory — but important — part of our nation’s history.”, CON: Let’s start a new conversation on Confederate symbols. “Honestly, I don’t think it should have been flying in South Carolina,” Tavel said. So, the Southern states preferred to start the Civil war, rather tha… I don’t fear 150-year-old statues of old dead white men. PUBLISH UNPUBLISH DISCARD. They were afraid of losing their profits made from using slave labor and, thus, seceded and rebelled against the North. Across the United States, the statues are starting to topple, the streets renamed, the memorials removed. Please subscribe to keep reading. Quoting Donald Trump, Bernstein asks: “Where does it stop?,” a question Hays echoes. [] The shooter was said to have glorified the Confederate South, posing in Facebook photos with the Battle Flag of the Northern … At any rate, those who want Confederate statues removed can indeed make a strong argument that many monuments were erected during the Jim Crow era in order to send an intimidating message to black people. “They’re part of our history. Everybody knows who won the war. I say that as a former Louisiana resident in a culture even more "southern" than NOLA. Deborah Oswalt column: Conquering the consequences of COVID-19, Barrett Y. Bogue column: Restoring equity to Black World War II veterans, James J. Fedderman column: Fund the standards our students deserve, Salena Zito column: Our American treasures hidden in plain sight. In fact, even Robert E. Lee opposed Confederate statues. Symbolize strong units or states. Due to some political reasons, several movements took place for the removal of confederate monuments and memorials. In order to understand the meaning of this topic, it is best to determine its pros and cons first. 1. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 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. Public money should not be used to fund monuments that honour slavery. Strong Units or States A confederacy is a united body of provincial units or individual states. They can be kept in museums with proper historical context rather than on a plinth to be admired. List of Pros of Confederacy. JOIN or SIGN IN to share annotations. Four New Orleans statues taken down. The Confederates committed treason against the United States. Should the US remove Confederate memorials, flags, and monuments from public spaces? Pros And Cons Of The Removal Of Confederate Statues 1105 Words | 5 Pages. After watching the events of Jan. 6, Mexico called and said it would be happy to pay for the wall. Davis served as president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Some of the states have also passed laws to restrict the demolition … That doesn’t make me a racist because I say ‘leave the statue up there’. Canada said it wants one, too. Still, the number of those favoring removal … Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. These visible inscriptions of white supremacy into the American landscape are being erased. Removal is the most drastic measure when there are more gentle alternatives. We should learn from our history, we don’t erase it. Writing in the Washington Post, legal scholar Alfred Brophy believes it would. As a result of Roof’s actions, the Confederate flag was removed from flying outside the statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina in July. They harbored cultural bias. So what should be the standard for taking down a statue? 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