The Preservation Of The Confederate Memory Lives On Through The Robert E. Lee Memorial Essay

For people who oppose the removal of Confederate statues, history is said to be their biggest concern. Many believe that “Ultimately, removal of the monuments will, quite literally, erase an unsavory – but important – part of our nation’s history” (Brophy 2015). They fear that by removing these symbols, America would be disregarding a huge part of its past. Yet, history itself would not be destroyed, as the impact of the Civil War lives on; only the tokens of oppression would be removed.

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”.

We all think that the civil war was just about southern secession, but in reality, there were various reason and beliefs that motivated these soldiers to fight for their country. Northerners simply wanted to restore the Union whereas the Confederates were trying to gain independence from the Union. This was one of the main reasons why Southern soldiers were more passionate about the war as they were fighting for their way of life, while Northerners simply wanted to unite a split nation. Aside from saving the Union, Northerners didn’t understand the importance of slavery and believed that this war was also based on slavery as mentioned by Thomas Chamberlain: “If it weren’t for the slaves, there’d never have been no war…that’s what it’s all about, and that’s what them fellers died for…I don’t understand it at all.” (343).

A once celebrated monument of Robert E. Lee was constructed years after the civil war. This monument was paraded down the streets in Virginia before being placed on Monument Avenue. The monument, eventually accompanied by others, located on Monument Avenue stood as a beacon to southern pride and heritage. Wealthy white southerners flocked to these streets to be the first to build homes in the presence of their widely respected Confederate hero’s monument.

Since the end of the American Civil War, a movement started and continues to persist explaining the South’s reason for seceding from the Union and fighting the Civil War. This is the Lost Cause. Developed shortly after the defeat of the South as is shown in Edward Pollards book The Lost Cause Regained, this dogma has persisted throughout America into the current day. The influence of the Lost Cause can be seen in our media, historic sites and memorial, and this is derived from the continual use of early pro-southern books book authors like Edward Pollard. These influences continue to educate those interested in the cause of the South. The Lost Cause highlights the challenges modern historians face when analyzing the Lost Cause against the

Recently on Saturday, hundreds of protestors made their way to Charlottesville, Virginia for a “Unite the Right” rally. Those in favor of the alt-right rally, believe that it was triggered because of the plan of taking down of Robert E. Lee’s statue. “Robert E. Lee was the leading Confederate General during the U.S. Civil War and has been venerated as a heroic figure in the South.” (Biography.com Editors. 27 Apr. 2017).

Controversies over Civil War memorials show ongoing struggles over how we remember and represent our history. Changes in constitutional interpretation from the Civil War era still affect legal decisions today, especially regarding civil rights

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.

There is no question that the disagreements in the Civil War between Northern and Southern states were over the economy as well as state rights. Yet, the confederate flag was a valiant symbol of slavery and the mistreatment of African American people. “The Confederacy was based on the defense of slavery, and it benefited from the usually coerced, but sometimes willing, labor of black people” (Chapter 11 pg.253). For example in the South, slavery was a major reason for why the Southern states needed to win. By losing, it meant slavery would be abolished in both Southern and Northern states. “Lincoln’s announcement gave the Confederate states one hundred days to return to the Union” (Chapter 11 pg.240). Prime example of this was when the Southern

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

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.

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.

lives of the Confederate soldiers; however, the “Lost Cause” belief was founded upon historically inaccurate or debatable elements that included the claim that the Confederacy instigated the Civil War in order to defend states' rights rather than to preserve slavery, and the related claim that slavery was benevolent, rather than cruel.

While Stars and Bars have long been associated by many with slavery, the latest campaign to remove Confederate emblems has extended beyond the flag to statues, memorials, parks and even school mascots. The debate over what symbolizes heritage and what stands for hate has never covered so much ground, as efforts to remove icons that have been part of the visual and cultural landscape of the South for decades are a foot at national, state, and local levels. In one Arkansas town, the school board voted unanimously Tuesday to ban the song "Dixie" for the next school year and phase out "Rebel," the school's mascot. "They are part of our history and not all of our history is dandelions and butterflies." - Mick Mulvaney, representative for South Carolina. In Maryland, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz is trying to make a plan that would change the name of Baltimore's Robert E. Lee Park. A spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings, Blake told The Associated Press she supports the name change and is willing to work with the county to find an appropriate alternative name. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have called for a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader, to be removed from an alcove outside the Senate chambers. The bust, with the words "Confederate States Army" engraved on it, has been at the state Capitol for decades. That bust is part of history, yes that guy may have been racist but that's how times was when slavery was around. It is a part of history so we can’t forget it or we might redo the whole situation over again.(“Debate over the confederate

“‘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.