Removing Confederate Statues

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

No matter what a person’s race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation is, everyone should enjoy equality. In the speech Speech Upon the Removal of Confederate Monuments by Mitch Landrieu, the Mayor of New Orleans, the removal of the Confederate monuments in New Orleans is discussed. The speech emphasises the fact that the Confederacy was wrong pertaining to their treatment of African Americans, and instead of teaching history, the Confederate monuments convey an image of inequality and violence. Mitch Landrieu argues for the deconstruction of historic Confederate monuments through his allusions to past historic events to contrast the modern shift of equality, so he can call the people to action to deconstruct the monuments. Through the

“‘A great nation does not hide its history, it faces its flaws and corrects them.”’ George W. Bush spoke these words at the grand opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (Nelson). He said this in hopes of keeping monuments reflecting slavery and segregation standing so people today could learn from mistakes in the past. Most monuments dealing with the topic of slavery are Confederate monuments, but they are causing controversy over their true meaning. Some people believe Confederate monuments are about southern pride, but many think they are symbols of racism (Ingraham). The debate over these monuments has caused violent protests like in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a Robert E. Lee statue was removed. Although Confederate monuments anger many people because of the history behind them, they provide lessons that can be taught to help end racism and make a better country. Confederate monuments and statues need to stay to preserve the history of the United States so it is not repeated, but the meaning to them should be altered to show segregation is immoral.

The Nation has gone through quite a few imprinting events in the past few months one being the removal of the confederate monuments then leading to chaos in New Orleans. As all acts need an explanation so did this event, Mayor Landrieu of the city of New Orleans came out and gave out an address to all the citizen as to why these monuments that had been up for more than one hundred years were being exterminated and removed.

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.

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

The confederate era monuments in New Orleans have been a hot topic of debate. People on both sides feel passionately about whether these local historic landmarks should remain standing or be torn down because of the atrocities the men they honor committed well over one hundred years ago. Whether over racial or personal beliefs there are strong motives on either side. As of now the future of the cityscape lays in limbo. Will history prevail over emotion?

The American South. An area full of rich history and the home to some of the nation’s largest conflicts throughout history, such as the civil war and the civil rights movement. Southerners have always been proud of their heritage despite its rocky parts and display it for all to see with a 150 year old flag. This is proving to be problematic, though, as the Confederate flag they are all so proud of, is really only 50 years old and has been associated with ideals of white supremacy and racism. Some Southerners and other Americans choose to not believe the truth about the flag, others were never taught the truth. However, it is incredibly important in forming an opinion on the flag, and to whether or not the flag must be removed from state buildings. And the truth is, due to its historical affiliation to racist whites in the South, white supremacy groups, and recent events such as the Charleston Shooting, the Confederate rebel flag should not be flown on state buildings as it is not culturally sensitive to African American people who have been targeted by these people.

In the article "The Monuments Must Go”, Christian and Christian are writing to the Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, Levar Stoney, as well as the members from the Monument Avenue Commission and requesting them to remove the Confederate statue of Stonewall Jackson along with the rest of the Confederate monuments that lie along Monument Avenue. The authors argue that these monuments in Richmond, Virginia that line up Monument Avenue serve to preserve a racist ideology. Christian and Christian begin their article by initially stating, “We are native Richmonders and also the great-great-grandsons of Stonewall Jackson. We are writing today to ask for the removal of his statue, as well as the removal of all Confederate statues from Monument Avenue. They are overt

The battle about what to do with the Confederate monuments is not new. Unless we figure out how to honor infamous events in way that does not glorify them, we as a country will continue the long and complicated debate. There are many perspectives, but the four biggest are to leave them up, take them down, put them in museums, and learn more about them before making a permanent decision. Right now, the United States seems to be taking the side of forming a more educated decision, although some cities, like Charlottesville, have been making the decision of taking them down. The United States is a very undivided nation, which makes it difficult to come up with a solution, especially because it is impossible to make everyone happy.

There are 700 monuments that commemorate the Confederacy and Confederate generals. The majority of these monuments are in the South, where the Confederacy was born. These monuments were not erected immediately after the Civil War. Instead, the monuments were erected a generation later during the Jim Crow Laws and once more in the Civil Rights Movement. The controversy began when a Confederate, Dylan Roof, shot black citizens in a church in South Carolina. After the incident, the South Carolinian government removed the Confederate flag and other Confederate symbols from the state capitols. Other states followed suit. However, people have met these actions with criticism. This scenario occurred once more with the recent unrest in Charlottesville.

A time where the United States of America was split into two. This was called the Civil War. Theses three individuals and the symbol of the battle of the Confederacy are put on pedestals around the city. The people who put these statues up wanted to keep slavery and white supremacy over others. It just makes since that now in this day in age, we do not praise these individuals for wanted to keep slavery. New Orleans can move ahead with plans to remove prominent Confederate monuments from the city 's streets.

In his speech defending the removal of confederate statues from the city, New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu by asserting that these statues do not accurately represent the history of New Orleans, the confederacy’s loss during the war, or the true reason that these statues were put up to begin with. He then goes on to share his vision for the future of New Orleans and his hope that they will create new symbols and monuments that show the true history and values of the city.

Imagine your children living in a world full of hatred, prejudice, and discrimination from their brothers and sisters of America. The ultimate reality where a minority man or woman can’t cross the street without feeling vulnerable or concerned of an issue occurring because of who they are. I am telling you this because if we let the Robert E. Lee statue remain standing, our world will become a dystopia of animosity and bigotry with the support of White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis. In the late 1800’s, President Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery all throughout the United States, however, the South believed that it was unconstitutional to eradicate slavery. Due to the disagreement about slavery between the Union and the Confederates, they began the American Civil War and endured the four years of combat casualties on both sides, until the Union won and slavery was completely abolished. Subsequently, many statues emerged in southern states honoring Confederate soldiers and leaders that fought against the Union in the Civil War, such as the Robert E. Lee monument. With rich history, like ours, we can see the evolution in our society and learn from our racial, degrading, and dishonorable actions that has affected one to several millions of Americans. Although the Robert E. Lee statue is a form of history, the statues need to be removed from the public property because of the true representation behind the monument and the pain in remembering our infamous racial past.

These statues may have been put up to memorialize the leaders that were fighting for their right to own slaves, but back then they didn’t know any other lifestyle. According to Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, even George Washington, one of the founding fathers, owned slaves, but he did emancipate them after his death. The memorials should stand as a reminder for us to not go back to that way of life, that every human is made equally, that we all bleed red. People