All rights reserved. An FHA loan is a mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Following the murder of George Floyd, I think we started to see a broader recognition of how statues in civic spaces can exclude certain people. A 2018 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center found there are more than 1,700 monuments to the Confederacy still in public spaces. 17, 2020, 42. Heres how we fight back. For one thing, it can be a close question whether a persons extraordinary feats made the world a better place: Franklin D. Roosevelt is widely commemorated, even though scholarsstill argueover whether his leadership during the Great Depression actually improved American life. That if monuments embody community values, then it should be a community decision. McCarthy to Russian reporter: I do not support what your country has done to Saudi alfalfa sparks tension in Arizonas Sonoran Desert, Rice's departure brings relief to immigration advocates, Watch live: White House monkeypox response team holds briefing, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They can be used as a teaching tool to help educate people about different periods in our past. Its a pleasure to be a part of the politics of Los diferentes estrellas de la Avenida. The result is that, as a result, the Primera Guerra is no longer averse to it. There is no path to a peaceful and prosperous country without challenging and rejecting that as a basis for our society. Who Abraham Lincoln was. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The XVI Tumba-estatuas de Guaicaipuro present the main lder of the resistencia indgena a la conquista del Valle de Caracas. The police killing of George Floyd sparked widespread protests and reignited efforts across the U.S. to remove Confederate and other statues viewed as symbols of slavery and racism. There are valid arguments on both sides, and there is no easy answer. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. GREENE: Historian Manisha Sinha is the author of "The Slave's Cause: A History Of Abolition.". There is no easy answer to this question, as there are pros and cons to both sides. GORDON-REED: Plaques can work in some situations. Like, what do you see is at stake here if the number of statues being removed really broadens? I think it dishonors them to celebrate the men who killed them and tried to kill off the American nation. GREENE: Has your view on all of this changed since George Floyd was killed and we've seen such anger on the streets and such a growing movement at this moment? Since the election of President Donald Trump, there has been an increased push to remove Confederate statues and monuments. As a result, when you reach the tierra, you will reach the arena. The monument divided the African American community, exposing various political philosophies on how to deal with white supremacy. On the other hand, others argue that they are offensive and should be removed. GORDON-REED: This moment feels different because theres been a great awakening in the country about police-on-citizen violence. Stephen E. Ambrose, Founding Fathers and Slaveholders, smithsonianmag.com, Nov. 2002, 43. They serve as a constant reminder of who we are and what we believe in. Lets argue about the facts, lets put them down on paper or on a marker and have a conversation about them. [24], Geoff Palmer, Scotlands first black professor, who disagrees with taking down the statues, warned against being distracted by the simple, concrete action of taking down statues: We dont want to leave this so that people looking back in 50 years will say: you know, they took the statues down, why didnt they do something about racism? [53]. Claudette Colvin was a member of the Womens Missionary Union before Rosa Parks was born. Arguments for why Confederate statues should not be removed include pointing out the dark sides of other celebratedAmerican heroes, like Washington and Jefferson, as well as the politicization of the statues when there are more important problems. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. First, removing all these statues and monuments cost a lot of money and take a long time. All rights reserved. The shooter was said to have glorified the Confederate South, posing in Facebook photos with the Battle Flag of the Northern Virginia Army (also known now as the Confederate flag, though it never represented the Confederate States) and touring historical Confederate locations before the shooting. A year after the United States had a diplomatic confrontation with Venezuela, Washington had a diplomatic confrontation with Caracas, and Venezuela had a diplomatic confrontation with Washington. GORDON-REED: Ha! In particular, a lot of our civic buildings our courthouses, our state capitals, even our public squares and parks are in the neoclassical style. John Daniel Davidson, Why We Should Keep The Confederate Monuments Right Where They Are, thefederalist.com, Aug. 18, 2017, 37. In the modern-day case of the removal of U.S. monuments that many argue commend white supremacy and colonialism, the shift in power could be seen as from those who deny the racist overtones of such structures or who maintain that some monuments have historical or aesthetic value worth preserving to those who embrace a national culture of inclusion. Mridas Avenida de los Insignes, the Paseo de los Insignes, and the Coln derribado de Caracas were all parts of the Ch Guevaras visit to the United States. Colleen Walsh, Must We Allow Symbols of Racism on Public Land?, harvard.edu, June 19, 2020, 44. Valerie Strauss, Christopher Columbus: 3 Things You Think He Did That He Didnt, washingtonpost.com, Oct. 14, 2013, 22. What purpose do they serve in society? Today, some of the worst leaders of the French Revolution have names on public sights, like the metro station named for Maximilien Robespierre, architect of the Reign of Terror. The history of the United States is multi-layered, complicated, and ever-evolving. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. It wasnt until a statue, or, more specifically, the absence of one, that he discovered himself in the crosshairs. In later years, Lee alsodistinguished himself as an educator: As president of the institution that is nowWashington and Lee University, he was largely responsible for fashioning the modern college honor code. To the best of our knowledge, no resistance is shown in 1895 in the Neapolitan pieza de mrmol; all hecha pedazos must be resisted. Confederate monuments are more likely to be removed in cities with large African-American and Democratic populations, as well as chapters of the NAACP, and where state legislatures have the authority to approve their removal. Their actions also took a violent turn, as when revolutionaries murdered bishops and priests who refused to sign a loyalty oath. Glenn Foster, founder of The Freedom Neighborhood, stated of the Emancipation Memorial, which depicts Lincoln over a kneeling freed slave, When I look at that statue, Im reminded my freedom and my liberation is only dictated by white peoples terms. The record has been filed by the gobernantes, but the response has not yet been made. There is no path to a peaceful and prosperous country without challenging and rejecting that as a basis for our society., Supreme Court decision shielding DACA draws relief, celebration, Happiness is not a destination Happiness is the way, Expanding our understanding of gut feelings, Gen Z, millennials need to be prepared to fight for change. Hannah Natanson, Theres a New Way to Deal with Confederate Monuments: Signs That Explain Their Racist History, washingtonpost.com, Sep. 22, 2019, 53. ProCon.org. I grew up seeing hundreds of small stone and bronze markers along our desert roads telling us about the great white Americans who passed through or discovered the great West or our mighty Colorado River, said Diaz, whowas born and raised in the Fort Mojave Indian Village in Needles, California. Thats not fair, asking me as a law professor. Pros And Cons Of Removing Confederate Statues. Even after the statues were erected, there was never a common ground between them. A: Thats such a complex issue. John Daniel Davidson, Political Editor at The Federalist, explained, That they were wrong about slavery does not excuse us today from the burden of trying to understand what motivated them to fightand what motivated them and their families to undertake a flurry of monument-building decades later as the surviving veterans began to die off A more mature society would recognize that the past is always with you and must always be kept in mind. Also removed from the monument's base was a 133-year-old copper time capsule containing artifacts and ephemera related to the Confederacy. On the one hand, some argue that they are historical landmarks and should be preserved. This is why they put them up in the first place; to affirm the centrality of white supremacy to Southern culture. [1], Because the statues were intended to promote white supremacy, Richard Rose, President of Atlantas NAACP, argues, You cant contextualize racism or compromise on racism. He states that the contextualization plaques added to Atlantas Confederate statues establish that racism is valid. [24], The statues still appeal to white supremacists, as demonstrated by the 2017 rally to defend the Lee and Jackson statues in Virginia and in Dylan Roofs 2015 pre-massacre tour of plantations and a Confederate museum. Take away anything that smacks of the sort of imperialist legacy which clearly that statue embodies. 3. It is not possible to have them live in a single location at the same time. Ive been studying the impact of Black Lives Matter on statues and memorials around the world for the past few months. They put up monuments to T.J. because of the Declaration of Independence, which every group has used to make their place in American society. Source: Abdazizar. As a student at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Arizona State University English Professor Natalie Diaz remembers seeing the Robert E. Lee monument every time her basketball team traveled to play the University of Richmond Spiders. Basically any time a new government or regime or religion comes in, stuff gets torn down, temples get sacked. Most monuments I'm aware of attest to conquered people and lands, including my people., The Robert E. Lee monument, erected several decades after the Civil War to commemorate the Confederate general, was recently removed following more than a year of protests for racial justice. History will still be taught. Q: How do we decide what stays and what goes? Southern Poverty Law Center, Whose Heritage? The Straka is spelled with a T. Monument in Madrid, Spain. The Confederate symbols and associated values that Americans hold in high regard are paid for by them. The statues do not cause racism and could be used to fight racism if put into historical context. Take away these men who seem to be inferior to Roosevelt, but leave him. They represent the establishments value system at any given time, regardless of the circumstances. [31], In Louisville, a statue of Confederate soldier John Breckinridge Castleman was removed. During the 2017 rebellion in Venezuela, at least 11 Hugo Chvez statues were torn down. Rob Natelsonisa constitutional historian and former constitutional law professor, serves as asenior fellow in constitutional jurisprudenceat The Independence Institute, the Montana Policy Institute, and The Heartland Institute. By writing to US national senators and representatives, you can advocate for the position and policies you believe in. Juan De Anda, Why Representation Matters Now, mediapost.com, April 21, 2020, 28. We shouldn't shy from the fact that many of these men were slave owners, but we should also be able to judge each case individually. SINHA: Well, I think it is important not to go from one extreme to the other. Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity. Latisha Jensen, Portland Man Describes Tearing Down Thomas Jefferson Statue: Its Not Vandalism, wweek.com, June 20, 2020, 12. A global anti-gender movement is coming for our democracy. Jack Jenkins, How the Charleston Shooting Is Linked to the Confederate Flag, According to A South Carolinian, thinkprogress.org, June 19, 2015, 3. Taking them down is to censor, whitewash, and potentially forget that history. Arguments For And Against Removing Confederate Statues, Robert E. Lee opposed Confederate statues. They can be kept in museums with proper historical context rather than on a plinth to be admired. Gordon-Reed is a professor of history and the Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History at Harvard Law School. He was not forgotten or disgraced, but he was not a forgotten figure because he was one of Venezuelas most revered rulers. The results of these revoluciones can be viewed in the following format: Un momento climtico en el derribamiento de alguna ser industrialization de Marx. Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian). Brian Palmer and Seth Freed Wessler, The Costs of the Confederacy, smithsonianmag.com, Dec 2018, 5. From a religious/Christian. [42], Jefferson is the author of two of our most dear principles as a country: equality and religious freedom. And that is, in fact, a very imperialist vision. Where do we draw a line? Evan Andrews, How Many U.S. Presidents Owned Enslaved People?, history.com, Sep. 3, 2019, 45. 746 Words3 Pages. How will Mr. DeSantiss wild Disney ride end? It does not disqualify him that he selected a husband for his daughter rather than allowing her to select one for herself. The principal legacy of Confederate statues is white supremacy and slavery. While the debate whetherConfederatestatues should be taken down has been gaining momentum for years, the issue gained widespread attention after the June 17, 2015, mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Theres nothing to memorialize there, except a history of white supremacy and treason. Following the white nationalist rally in Virginia on August 12, 2017, it was back in the news. Is there a higher moral cause that supersedes the law? Effective Ways to Save on your Mobile Data, The Law Enforcement Exception To The Use Of Deadly Force, Swearing At Police Officers Is Not Appropriate In Massachusetts, Everything You Need To Know About Car Insurance Companies And Police Reports, The Police In Nigeria Have The Authority To Arrest Without A Warrant Under Certain Circumstances. We can do that. Starting with the Reconstruction, we see them being used as a way to control public spaces and maintain white supremacy alongside other things like lynching, controlling school curriculums, etc. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. To access extended pro and con arguments, sources, discussion questions, and ways to take action on the issue of whether historic statues should be taken down in the United States, go to ProCon.org. In several cities, these tributes have been vandalized or torn down by protestors or removed by public officials. Greta Anderson, When Free Speech and Racist Speech Collide, insidehighered.com, June 23, 2020, 36. These are various statues across the US which honor Confederate leaders or "heroes". Those who argue in favor of keeping political statues in public spaces typically make the following points: 1. Also removed from the monuments base was a 133-year-old copper time capsule containing artifacts and ephemera related to the Confederacy. The First Amendment protects everyones speech, not just the speech approved by the majority. And I also grew up hearing stories from my family or reading in archives the terrible things those men did to my people.. We must fight for the values we admire in our politics and culture. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. For example, a statue of black abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass was damaged over the July 4, 2020 weekend in Rochester, New York. On the other side, opponents of the statues argue that they celebrate white supremacy. While most Americans watch helplessly, ourstateside Taliban vandalizes and removeslong-standing public monuments. They were on the wrong side of history. Instructions for Pros / Cons Paper; Five (5) page essay (2) pages of "pro" and (2) pages of "cons . The standard traditionally applied is as follows: When deciding whom to commemorate by statues, place names, monuments, holidays, currency, or coins we select individuals who performed. Share This: Over 100 busts, statues, columns, and other memorials to the Confederacy and Confederate general and politicians have been removed around the country. In several cities, these tributes have been vandalized or torn down by protestors or removed by public officials. There are statues of people all over the place, and they should be removed. [26]. The statues represent the countrys history, no matter how complicated. GAZETTE:As a law professor, what is your view on people unilaterally deciding to pull down statues they find offensive after officials often enjoined by laws or judicial rulings barring such action decline to do so? There have been other videos, of course, but there is something about this image of a prone individual who is not moving and who we know is losing, or has lost, his life after an encounter that started over an alleged counterfeit $20 bill. Caleb Parke, From George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant: Statues, Monuments Vandalized Extend beyond Confederates amid Black Lives Matter Protests, foxnews.com, June 22, 2020, 13. [23] For example, the Confederate statues in the Capitol building should embody our highest ideals as Americans, expressing who we are and who we aspire to be as a nation. It has also been suggested that statues shouldn't be removed but new plaques could be added which explain why the person is controversial, for example reflecting both the good and bad things. However, preservationism remains the dominant outlook of the sector. In the event that these statues are removed, the country would lose a valuable educational tool about the effects of the Civil War. Second, because almost everyone conforms in most respects to prevailing social practices, disqualification for such conduct is necessarily arbitrary and driven more by politics than by merit. They didnt like having black classmates because they had racist hearts. The Confederate monuments and statues should be removed not only because they are offensive and outdated, but also because they represent Virginia in the 1890s rather than in the 21st century. The statues are a painful reminder of past and present institutionalized racism in the United States. For proof, just look at the 1911 dedication of a Jefferson Davis statue in New Orleans. Robert E. Lees statue, for example, is regarded as particularly offensive due to his role in defending slavery and the Confederacy. Copyright 2020 NPR. Activism forces a reckoning with what our values are. Question: Why do we have monuments and memorials? I certainly understand the emotion the passion particularly if government officials have turned a blind eye to previous petitions from the community. Linda Lopata, If Susan B. Anthony Was Racist, susanb.org (accessed July 7, 2020), 47. First, virtually everyone acts in ways consistent with contemporaneous social normsnorms of which later generations may disapprove. Like, FDR, after all, was responsible for the internment of Japanese American citizens. The police killing of George Floyd sparked widespread protests and reignited efforts across the U.S. to remove Confederate and other statues viewed as symbols of slavery and racism. The main duty is not to hide the bitter parts. The slippery slope goes further, allowing anyone to destroy any statue they disagree with. She was supposed to be the civil rights movements most visible figure until she became pregnant. Politics plays a role in answering close questions. And dont forgetthe Confederacy lost. The US National Trust for Historic Preservation offers a point of contrast, having stated: 'We should always remember the past, but do not necessarily need to revere it'. During the global Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, calls to take down the statues were met with citizens not only actively damaging or removing statues of Confederate figures, but targeting statues of slave-holding Founding Fathers in general, as well as historic monuments to Abraham Lincoln and abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass. Statues of Washington or Grant, et cetera are begging for historical contextualization. What that signals is a shift in power.. Confederates died defending slavery as an institution. There are now more than 30 statues and monumental pieces in his honor in the United States. This equates to 1.57 jobs, $76,000 in wages and $14,101 in tax revenues for every 1,000 tons of material recycled. I cannot see myself pulling down a statue in that way. The Avalon Project, A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union., avalon.law.yale.edu (accessed July 8, 2020), 17. Beyond building monuments to honor black Americans, monuments could employ and elevate living black artists, such as Kehinde Wiley, whose 2019 Rumors of War statue depicts a black man on horseback in a pose reminiscent of statues of Robert E. Lee. Protesters for. The Confederates lost the war, the rebellion. May 16, 2017 0 The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his mount, Traveler, face the setting sun on Monument Ave. in Richmond,. Theres a reason Christians in Rome didnt topple all the pagan statues and buildings in the city, or raze the Colosseum. [36], Each Confederate monument is a reminder not only of the Civil War and the end of slavery, but the assertion of the federal governments dominance over states rights, as well as the persistence of systemic racism. Pros. The main duty is not to hide the bitter parts. [43]. List two to three ways. The racial subjugation systems he developed as a principal architect are still prevalent in southern Africa. Yes, other celebrated Americans were also deeply wrong about slavery, but they aspired to something greater. The removal of Confederate statues is a painful reminder of the countrys racist past and present.

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