Argumentative Essay On The Confederate Monuments

Another issue with the statues are the actual subjects monumentalized. Notable people that are commemorated with having models of themselves publicly displayed are usually figures that the people of America are proud of, like Abraham Lincoln or Harriet Tubman. Confederate statues, however, are the exception; for they are monuments that represent the institutionalization of racism. “Our public spaces should not glorify historical policies of hatred and racism,” argues Kevin Kamenetz, executive and president of the Maryland Association of Counties (Eversley 2017). That single phrase perfectly sums up what people across the country are attempting to convey, and expresses the main issue that many have with these statues. No person who fought for the right to keep humans as property is deserving of modern honor.

Confederate statues depict anti-abolitionists as heroes and very honorable men, therefore they should be removed. These men who are depicted as heroes fought for the institution of slavery. These statues not only glorify anti-abolitionists but they remind people of the strong racism of the time. Many people fight for the removal of these statues for the sole reason that they “serve as constant reminders of institutional racism, segregation and

Attention Grabber: Due to the recent events that took place in Charlottesville, North Carolina, the discussion on whether or not the Confederate monuments and symbolism should be removed has come about. In this speech, I will give you some more information on the benefits and disadvantages to both removing and keeping the statues and flags.

The removal of Confederate monuments has been a controversial topic over the past few years. Many want to tear them down, others want to keep them up and some want them to be moved to museums. Although controversial, many still do not know why exactly people want these statues to tear down or be kept up. After reading and analyzing both Michele Bogart’s and The Guardian’s view on Confederate statues, I would say that Michele Bogart’s “In Defense of ‘Racist’ Monuments” article was the most persuasive. Right off the bat, Michele Bogart starts off with how the rise of white nationalism is causing officials around the country to remove memorials of Confederate soldiers, military leaders, and symbols of “the Lost Cause”. Bogart clearly states that not all civic statues represent white supremacy or racism, but that they are “the culmination of complex social and artistic engagement at the community level” (Bogart). She further explains how eliminating these statues is not going to help solve the problem of racism in the United States. Her purpose in this essay is to persuade the reader that civic monuments should be kept up as pieces of art, not as “symbols of hate”.

The Civil War continues to be a major talking point today -- a war that was fought over the extension of slavery. In 2017, a contentious conversation continues as the public debates the reasons of the Civil War, whether or not it was about slavery or states’ rights, and the ethics behind having massive monuments commemorating a time of our history that was so divisive. Symbols of the Confederacy, which includes the Confederate flag and monuments depicting leaders of the Confederacy, are seen to be racist and propaganda tools used by white supremacists. However, there are those who believe that these confederate symbols are misleading and leads to the false ideas that the South was patriotic and heroic during the Civil War. Through

Learning from our wrongs and correcting them is what our country has always done in the past. On no issues has our country tried to pretend a problem did not exist. We have had disagreements on problems within our country, but never has it hidden its problems. Getting rid of confederate monuments is the same as attempting to erase the pages out of history books. Once history books no longer teach students about the horrors of slavery history is bound to repeat.

Before engaging in discourse regarding the Confederacy, it is important to understand what, exactly, it was about. The Confederate States of America were formed in 1861 as a way for the deep South to continue owning slaves, due in part to the fact that their agricultural industries depended on slave labor to operate. While they did stand for other things, the origin and primary goal of the Confederacy was to fight against those who wanted to abolish slavery. Because of this, Confederate memorabilia and monuments are fundamentally linked with slavery and racism, and this aspect must be remembered when discussing what to do with regards to Confederate monuments.

First, removing all these statues and monuments cost a lot of money and take a long time. For example, The cost to remove all the monuments and statues in New Orleans could cost $600,000. Thats a lot of money for one city to pay for, and that money could be used for more important things. Another reason I feel that we should keep these statues and monuments because it’s a part of our history. Yes, the Confederacy did believe in slavery, but it isn’t about honoring slavery. It’s about understanding that this is what we once were as a nation. Keeping this symbolizes how far we’ve come as a country and how much we’ve progressed. Taking these monuments down would be in a way an attempt to erase our

After careful consideration I have decided that Confederate monuments should not be aloud in public places. These monuments stand for things that our country doesn’t. I think even if we take down the monuments that we will never forget our history. I still think that we should keep some monuments ,but in museums and for learning because we need to teach children about our past so they

The issue of whether or not the Confederate statues is in huge debate. Some think that the monuments stand for a lost cause of racism and white pride while others believe the statues should continue to stand for history and reembrace purposes. But should the federal government do anything about the statues?

The civil war was one the bloodiest American war in history. Both sides fought to protect what they thought was right. The north wanted the abolishment of slavery and create equality throughout the whole United States, the south though the opposite. Slavery was the main point of the war and why it started. Now since the north won the war and slavery was abolished over the U.S. there should be no monuments or symbols commemorating and glorifying people who fought for slavery. I have four points on how these statues and symbols should be removed.

Even so, forgetfulness is not the total issue. People are now taking our history out of context because it is not what they want to hear. Many of the memorials honor Confederate leaders and soldiers without any mention on slavery, yet people do not know the truth. Humans are blind because of their ignorance. “Confederate symbols were at once works of art, affirmation of the Lost Cause and tributes to white Southerners,” (“Monumental Battle” 8). Many generations of today do not know the truth of the statues and what they stand for. The statues can be used for educational purposes if they are allowed to speak but that is decided by the people.

The removal of Confederate monuments in some cities has stirred up intense controversy because of white supremacist protesting the removal of the statues. These white supremacist are protesting the removal of the statues because when they think of the Confederacy they think back in history when the whites are firmly in control. So that's how the thought of believing whites should have more power over all other races started. Another reason why white supremacists want to keep the statutes is because they believe that by removing the statues, you're erasing the south's history. “They say the history of the south is being erased. Memorials like the one to Lee honor the bravery of the southerners who did battle in the Civil War, they say.”

The American Civil War was a clouded era where, by comparison to modern norms, judgement was ill evolved; during the American Civil War era, slavery was still acceptable in certain parts of the country. However, it was nevertheless a cultural turning point in the history of our nation. Our nation has not always been the cultural mixing pot it is now. To arrive to modernity, there are many factors that we ought to take into consideration so we can be knowledgeable about how we got to where we are today. In the past months, there have been events that have caused a big spark in the debate of Confederate monuments; such as the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where protesters and counter-protesters caused a riot, and a big part of their fight pertained to if specific Confederate monuments should be removed or be able to stay. Some argue that Confederate monuments should be removed due to the very apparent connections to slavery and racism and also that times are rapidly changing. However, I argue that Confederate monuments should be preserved, but the monuments should also be evolving with our ever-changing society, in order to be honest about our nation’s past even if those memorials are somber or difficult to talk about. If we were to keep Confederate monuments we should add placards where it talks about specific events that will help with maintaining the education and learning of the American Civil War.

United States has allowed the people to honor and commemorate Confederate generals across the nation. With the heavy aggrandizement of the Confederacy, you would think that they won the Civil War on an honorable cause instead of the Union. In no way is there an expectation for America to conduct everything in a perfect manner and be an all-around great nation, America has a very flawed history like every other nation. Germany, for example, does not allow any circulation Nazi or Neo-Nazi paraphernalia because Nazism is not something that needs to be commemorated or celebrated. The Nazism that took place in Germany mirrors the Confederacy in America; these moments in time, symbols and martyrs for racism, terrorism and hate are not aspects of history that should be glorified. With this, all Confederate monuments and more importantly monuments, needed to be stripped from the normal discourse of our culture so that we can begin to take progressive strides towards a more tolerant country.