White Supremacism: The Story Of Robert E. Lee Road

“‘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.

Throughout history, there have been people whose names and faces have become synonymous with the time periods in which they lived. For example, Julius Caesar is synonymous with the late Roman Republic and George Washington is synonymous with the American Revolution. Just like these two men, the name Robert E. Lee has become synonymous with the American Civil War. Not only did Lee rise to become the most important and recognizable person in the Southern Confederacy, but his honor and virtuous acts during and after the war made him a hero to modern-day Americans. Even though he fought for what many consider the morally erroneous side of the war, the virtues of his character have made him a figure in American history

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.

Almost 70% of Lee High Schoolers are Africans Americans, and all of them go to a high school of a man who supported slavery. As an African American myself, I believe that we shouldn’t just be known for slavery, we should be known for all the great we have done. Also, to add on to that Lee’s colors are blue and grey which are Confederate colors. This makes my heart hurt, because not a lot of people students know that Lee High is named after a Confederate General. Not to mention Robert E. Lee is also racist.

Frustrated confederate soldiers made their way back home after losing the war that they had been fighting for four years. These men formed vigilante groups, attacking black people. While soldiers did this, wealthier men who had avoided fighting in the war formed agricultural and police clubs for the same purpose; both groups soon took shape and evolved into one large group, known as the Ku Klux Klan and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest became the first leader, known as the Grand Wizard. The name Ku Klux Klan is derived from the Greek word, Kyklos, meaning circle. The Ku Klux Klan, often shortened to the KKK, was founded in Tennessee in 1866 and grew to be one of the most feared terrorist groups in the United States, before dying off in 1869, but later being revived in 1915 (History.com Staff). The Ku Klux Klan negatively impacted the Reconstruction period through terror, intimidating Republican voters, and killing Republican officials.

John Kelly, the chief of staff at the White House, stated that he thought Robert E. Lee was “...an honorable man who gave up his country to fight for his state...it was always loyalty to state back in those days” (Kelly). The statement Kelly made while getting interviewed during the wake of the Charlottesville, Virginia white supremacy rally was wrong. Kelly’s utterance is erroneous because loyalty to state was never more important than the country as a whole and Lee was not an honorable man because of what he did with slavery and unequal rights in general.

In chapter fifteen the section titled "The Ku Klux Klan and Reconstruction Violence" stood out the most to me. This is because the Ku Klux Klan was such a violent group that should have been stopped immediately, but the group still exists today in a less severe manner due to a more developed government. At the end of 1865, the Ku Klux Klan was organized in the city of Pulaski, Tennessee. Their essential task was to prevent African Americans from playing a political or economic role in society. In fact, the group was even said to be "purely defensive, and for the protection of the white race" (page 529). They group, very popular in the South, even targeted caucasian Republicans due to their beliefs in interracial democracy. In order to destroy

The Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan, better known as the KKK, was started in Tennessee in 1866. The people who believed in "White Pride" came together against the advancement of African Americans, Jews, and other minorities. The KKK members were very violent and used harsh actions to get their point across, but their actions were supported by their strong belief in their religion and the culture in which they were brought up in. The Klan did as it believed, they did what they thought was right and for their time period they were just acting in the way their culture brought them up to act.

White Supremacy isn't a series of attitudes or opinions, it's a structural-systemic-institutional problem. Indeed, most of the activists and writers on the Left treat racism as if it's a personal fault. It's not. It's a structural issue. The difference between individual racism and structural racism is important.

Moon’s article reflects the legacy of racism in a variety of ways. The legacy of racism is reflected in small ways, such as schools that are named after Confederate generals who fought for slavery and segregation, which could cause problems for children who attend those schools. The legacy of racism is also reflected in large ways, such as when Sonny Livingston, a man who likely killed multiple Blacks during the Civil Rights Movement, received an honorable burial by those in power in Montgomery, Alabama. This legacy was especially difficult for Rev. Robert Graetz, a man whom Livingston had attempted to

go with her vision and open her own school. Many people tried to discourage her to not to go to Daytona because the black laborers in the area lived in poverty much like slavery and the Ku Klux Klan would commit violent acts against anyone who tried to better African Americans.

June 17, 2015 will be a day remembered in history as a tragic event that brought awareness to our Confederate past. According to CNN, Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, shot and killed 9 people who were part of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina on that Monday. Roof is not a representation of all white people in America, he is a representation of poor life decisions. Reported by Daily Intelligencer, Roof was photographed with a Confederate flag. The image was disturbing to many

“Is Paul Ryan helping to support the white supremacist movement”? by Contributor, Elliot D. Cohen emerges in August 19, 2017 in along of Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee questioning suspicion of Paul Ryan late tweet. Ryan has been through the ambiguity and deception that may help to advance the causes of hate groups such as the KKK and white supremacist groups. Ryan later tweets about how white supremacy is repulsive and Donald Trump replies that Ryan tweet is an infamous statement. Trump's response contained that Ryan's statement displays hatred and bigotry, and that both sides showed bigotry. The people is wondering is Ryan helping support the white supremacist movement. In addition, in conference, Trump confronts Ryan about his

During the Reconstruction period, the Ku Klux Klan terrorized and injured freedmen and whites who were black right supporters. After this group was put in its place, with items such as the Enforcement Acts, the White Leagues took over as the main “terrorist” group. White Leagues continued the Klan's work of invalidating black political, social, and economic progress. This cartoon (by Nast, published in Harper’s Weekly in 1874) depicts the transition of the Ku Klux Klan to the White Leagues. These new groups continued the same violent work as the KKK and pursued their aims openly. The cartoonist suggests that this demonstrates renewed confidence in the ultimate triumph of a white Conservative government. The phrases that surround the ominous

In early August of 2017, a monumental protest showcasing a public protest from members of the KKK, Neo-Nazi groups, and self-armed Militias took to the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the city of Charlottesville for the removal of a statue of a Confederate General, Robert E. Lee. One main argument that was discovered through the convoluted and opposing articles surrounding protest in America is that the Black body and other oppressed people of color do not have a proper way to protest. If any oppressed body uses a historically proven method of peaceful protest, such as protesting in the street, right-winged extremist will pose a refutation regarding how nonsense it is of the protestors to interrupt traffic. All while completely disregarding the reason why these oppressed bodies are taking to the streets, to demonstrate to the entire nation that they as a body they are