Should Confederate Monuments Be Removed? Confederate monuments are an embarrassment to our country, our citizens, and past soldiers who aren’t being honored in the same way. Day by day these memorials split this country up more and more. None of these monuments were put up after the Civil War they actually started popping up during the Civil Rights Movement. Both of these events are nearly 90 years apart, almost 10 decades! Most monuments began to erect because of The Daughters of Confederacy. Our country should be rid of all Confederate Monuments they falsely portray The Civil War, honor slavery, and symbolize white supremacy. The monuments of Confederacy represent a false narrative of the civil war. “Lincoln and the Republicans had promised not to disturb slavery where it already existed. Nevertheless, many people in the South mistrusted the party, fearing that the Republican government wouldn’t protect Southern rights and liberties. On December 20, 1860, the South’s long-standing threat to leave the Union became a reality when South Carolina held a special convention and voted to secede.” (The American Journey: The South Secedes) This Section of a textbook makes it seem as if slavery wasn’t the reason they chose to secede. For years schools and other educational resources have tried to manipulate Americans into believing The Civil War was about the South and it’s rights; when in reality they were fighting over slavery. The monuments
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
Thesis: As the debate continues on whether or not we should keep confederate monuments and symbols displayed publicly, it is important that we recognize both the benefits and downfalls of removing these symbols.
Thesis Statement: Three reasons why Confederate monuments or flags should be removed are they lie to themselves (white supremacists) by honoring the hero, even though they know they did wrong, The Nazi flag and the Confederate battle flag were designed by groups that rejected the founding American creed of the Declaration of Independence, that “all men are created equal, and It was a flag flown by a few regiments in the Civil War but widely popularized later by the Ku Klux Klan.
However most of the confederate monuments were created after the war during the era of the Jim Crow laws (Parks, NPR), and well as during the civil rights movement during the 1950’s and 1960 (Parks, NPR). Those were times where African Americans were trying to gain rights to vote, or stop segregation. Those statues to the confederates were built during times when African Americans rights were being challenge and suppressed. Therefore these statues were built to honor the Jim Crow Era, as a sign against the rights of black Americans. If the statues had been to honer southern pride they would of be constructed during the war or after, and there are other ways for the south to show
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.
51 years after the ending of the Civil War, you’d think that conflicts regarding Confederacy would be over. However, Confederacy issues just continue to get worse. Many Americans still believe and honor Confederate ethics. While many Americans strongly oppose the Confederacy. They believe that the Confederacy is responsible for destroying families, taking lives, and causing the bloodiest war in American history. Those Americans feel like we shouldn’t honor Confederacy and don’t want monuments or statues representing Confederacy here. Especially after hate crimes like the attack on an predominant African American church in South Carolina. It’s easy to understand why these people feel this way, as slavery and discrimination shouldn’t be represented on the “Land
Confederate symbols are symbols like monuments or flags that show people who were Confederate army heros or just the flag to show that they think that the Confederacy should have won. Confederate symbols represent white supremacy and Hate for people who are people too. The people most of the monuments are made for were white supremacists and they believed that so strongly they went to war for it. These people were unjust and they thought one race was superior; which it is not. These statues stand for things that most people in our country do not believe. To learn more about this topic I read an article about Confederate monuments. In the article “Are Confederate Monuments our Heritage or Symbols of Hate?” from Newsweek, it says, “For many people—perhaps especially African-Americans—Confederate symbols such
My opinion of the confederate flag may differ from some people ,but I believe the flag should still be flown as a commemorate to all the fallen men in the civil war. To me the civil war was not about slavery and the crazy man that started all of this was just that, crazy. I side with the people that say the flag should still fly, for all of these
In the wake of the June 17th shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, protesters have been successful in their campaign against the Confederate Battle Flag resulting in its removal from state buildings. They have pursued the issue further, arguing that all Confederate Civil War memorials should be removed. I disagree; the Confederate monuments hold too great a historical value to simply dispose of them like last night’s dinner. The monuments and memorials under fire all possess similar traits that causes social and racial tension. By first identifying these traits we can then make the necessary adjustments to remedy the issue. Again, Confederate war memorials possess a valuable glimpse into the past and are worth preserving because if we
Now many who oppose this will say that this isn’t true due to groups like Neo-Nazis and the K.K.K going out of the way to stop the removal of these monuments, but supporters feel that small groups not directly associated with the confederacy should not be a just cause for removal, because to many it is misrepresentation. The K.K.K might be the hardest to argue on this idea, but their clan was made after the Civil War, on behalf of the Confederacy, not part of it. Therefore, the Confederacy and its symbols should not be held accountable for what groups after it take action
Confederate flags symbolise different things to others. One may say, “It shows slavery and persecution” and others say “It is pride of southern heritage”. More so today, people will see it as persecution, and believe it is wrong to wield around the flag of the nation, who pursued one of America’s greatest shames.
Statues, monuments and historical markers across the United States were settled to memorize the confederacy around 150 years after the Civil War ended. They are interpreted as history and honor heritage markers, but on the contrary, some think they are racist symbols of America’s dark legacy of slavery.
Many years prior to the Civil War, Confederate statues, monuments, and other historical figures were placed thoroughly through the nation to represent the the remembrance of the Confederacy. In the “Monumental Battle” article, Laura Anastasia tells of the growing controversy that this nation has about the removal of Confederate monuments. The statues were placed to instill fear in the hearts of African Americans and portray a dominantly white future. THESIS !
In the United States, there are at least 1,500 Confederate symbols with highest density of emblems dedicated to soldiers. Although these statues and public properties are causing much controversy, there is no reason anyone should take these down. The Civil War was an important part of history and what is left behind to honor the soldiers should stay in America. Over 600,000 Americans sacrificed everything they had over whether or not we should have a united nation or not. The people that are trying to forget the past are also going to repeat it. With our divided country right now, it is looking like it is going back to the way it used to be. Donna Work told Chicago Tribune, “President Andrew Jackson, facing the first nullification crisis, insisted that our federal Union must be preserved. United we stand, divided we fall. Now even more than ever” (Work, D. 2017). Not one of the early presidents wanted the United States to get to where it is
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.