Essay On Confederate Monuments

Imagine walking through a town plaza and suddenly spotting a bust depicting Adolf Hitler, or a statue of a Nazi Swastika. A passerby may stare in horror upon its recognition, and wonder why a symbol of such hatred and violence is displayed prominently in a town. These statues would incite an uproar and immediate demands to remove such offensive monuments. Thankfully, such a situation would never arise in modern America; however, a similar plight is unfolding across the country concerning the removal of Confederate statues. Confederate statues should not be displayed in public areas because they are reminders of a time when racial violence went unpunished, they are honoring people who wanted to keep other

On the other Side of the argument, John Daniel Davidson author of “Why We Should Keep The Confederate Monuments Right Where They Are” and editor in chief of the online publication The Federalist, argues that Confederate statues such as General Jackson and Confederate war heroes should be kept where they are. In making this claim the author asserts that the public knows the history of the United States and should be able to conclude that these monuments don't represent what they would have represented during the Civil War. Rather, in present day American society they represent how the U.S. was able to make a dramatic change and turn away from slavery. Davidson begins his article with asserting, “They say we shouldn’t honor a bunch of racists

There are many monuments in the world and they are all built to honor someone or something that was done by that person. For example, after the Maine Lobsterman was built, the fake bronze statue returned to Maine and spent several decades being moved from city hall to museum to museum. No one seemed to want the man and his lobster. The issue at hand is if the monuments being built are memorializing the person or moment created accurately. Monuments capture legacy and preserve the individual's actions throughout history. Specifically, monuments should consider purpose, location, and size in their creation.

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”.

My closing thoughts on the Confederate Flag. I feel that the future of this debate, if there is one, depends highly upon how well we understand history. When I look at history and the intricate relationships that formed the Confederate flag and what it represented at that time, I cannot help but to synthesize a conclusion that symbolism is both a powerful yet potentially dangerous motivator, in this case good or bad, you decide. The simple thought of symbolism and its implications from a bygone era contemporaneous with the emergence of divergence among millions of Americans is as powerful today as it was when slavery began. This is another area where even I have to admit, I did not know the full truth, and slavery came about long before racism.

A recent hot-button subject in the media has been what to do with Confederate monuments in the South. After the removal of a statue honoring Robert E. Lee, a general in the Confederate Army considered by many to be a hero for the part he played in the American Civil War, a clear divide has formed over whether it was the right thing to do. Some agree with this choice, calling the statues remnants from a time of racial oppression in the United States. Others are outraged, considering it desecration of their proud history. Still others don't understand either side of the issue, and see it as a pointless feud. It is imperative to understand that to many people, these are more than just statues. Whether their impression is positive or negative, this issue goes beyond physical monuments.

When a self-proclaimed white supremist gunned down 9 members of a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, last week, more than just racial violence once again entered the national spotlight. Among those slain was the church's beloved pastor, Clementa Pinckney. Pinckney was also a Democratic state senator who served as such since 2000.

In the article “Why Confederate Monuments Must Fall” by Karen Cox, Cox describes the opposing conflict between the white supremacists and African Americans. The Confederate Monuments were built in a time of extreme racial violence. Karen states that, “As monuments went up, so did the bodies of black men, women, and children during a long rash of lynching.” Therefore, the monuments can cause the African American society to become offended. White supremacist’s make African American’s uncomfortable because they truly believe that they are superior to any other race. This indicates a mere chance that society could regress to when we did believe that it was humane to treat another fellow man in which the way we did the African Americans.

Today I would like to talk about the removal of the confederate monuments. The war ended one-hundred and fifty years ago, these monuments have been standing for quite some time now. These monuments are set to honor those who fought for HUMAN rights. These monuments stand for a very dark part of American history and now they are being taken down because we as a nation simply cannot handle different opinions. I understand that some people see these monuments as a celebration of those who fought pro-slavery, but some also think that they are to celebrate the overcoming of such a horrendous time in our history; these are opinions and every single person is entitled to one. That doesn't mean we disregard such a huge part of what sculpted America

In the United States, there is roughly 700 confederate monuments. They are spread out over 31 states and the District of Columbia. Most of these statues were built between 1890 and 1950, approximately 25 years after the Civil War, which ended in 1865. Although there were commemorative markers or memorials that mourned solders who had died. These earlier markers tended to be placed in cemeteries, while the monuments of today were placed at city squares and in front of state buildings. There are various opinions as to why the monuments were constructed. They tended to glorify leaders of the Confederacy like General Lee, Jackson, and former president of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis. The monument was originally intended to teach values to people,

Others, like the White Supremacy, say to keep them as a reminder of all those who have fallen and for respect. They believe that it is disrespectful to take them down; those men died for a case, wrong or right. They do not want the monuments to be taken down, and will protest that they do not. The Civil War is also a huge part of our history and needs to be remembered, whether

Although the Confederate monuments have been standing for many years now, the conversation on whether they should stay standing is just beginning. The debate for the removal of the confederate monuments is currently at a standstill. Each side makes intelligent arguments, however not any one side must be considered completely right. I see both sides to the argument and understand where each are coming from. Although each side views the situation differently, the common denominator seems to be the values that they hold, with one being the truth. As more events happen, such as the one in Charlottesville where there was a white supremacist rally, the more this debate is becoming relevant. Along with that some states have already begun to take down monuments which puts pressure on the rest of the United States to take a stand on the issue since they cannot have half of the states keep the monuments up while the other half takes them down. A senior correspondent at the Federalist named John Daniel Davidson, wrote an article called “Why we should keep the confederate monuments right where they are” to try an express his view point of the current situation that America seems to be in. Even though no one is right or wrong, John Davidson writes about his opinion as to why the confederate monuments should remain standing.

A work of art is something that touches the emotions of people. Without saying a word, art often speaks volumes to its viewers by challenging the current ideological orders, which are better known as the ways in which society thinks, acts, and functions on a daily basis. One of the most powerful art forms in terms of influencing society is a monument, which can be defined as a large manmade structure built to commemorate a significant person or event in history. Like all forms of art, monuments tell a story. Additionally, they take art to the next level by portraying something historical. They are one of the best art forms when it comes to influencing the public, yet their cultural impact is often overlooked. Many people see a monument as a display of a person or event’s importance to society during its time in history. However, that is not its sole purpose. It should also remind people of how the world was impacted by the particular event it stands for. A monument is capable of fueling an effort to maintain the change brought about by what it represents while also inspiring people to refrain from returning ideological order to its state prior to that event’s position in history. When designing a monument, architects strive to reach success in both of these categories to maximize its impact on ideological order.

Confederate Monuments continue to be a hot topic of debate of whether they should be removed or remain in public places. Throughout history the idea of removing the Confederate Monuments is the popular choice among decision makers, citing that the monuments have a sense of evilness consequently flaring up racial emotions. Strong points are continuously being made for the removal of Confederate Monuments, however the Confederate monuments should remain in public places because they honor timeless virtues, the monuments would provide an opportunity to reflect upon our nation’s past as well as an opportunity to educate future generations.

In his speech, “Address on Confederate Monuments” New Orleans Mayor, Mitch Landrieu explains why he chose to remove the Confederate monuments around the city. Landrieu begins his speech by stressing the importance of history within many different cultures. He then reminds us that New Orleans was the place where “hundreds of thousands of souls were brought, sold and shipped up the Mississippi River to lives of forced labor of misery of rape, of torture” (Landrieu, 2017, page 3). Next, Landrieu goes on to assert that although this tragic history is the reality of New Orleans, it cannot be something that the city is afraid of. Landrieu then claims that these statues dedicated to Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and P.G.T. Beauregard were part of a movement by a cult that was trying to hide the truth, which was “that the Confederacy was on the wrong side of humanity” (Landrieu, 2017, page 4). This claim leads to us to the belief that these monuments stand for what is called a fictional Confederacy, but they really stand for the hate and terror towards African Americans during the Civil War. Landrieu then speaks of a man who once was the Vice President of the Confederacy who moved on to make sure that people knew that the Confederacy wanted to maintain slavery and fought for white supremacy. He then emphasizes the fact that for years, many, even him, walked by these monuments without even thinking about what they stood for because for years, it was not really a major issue that