They provide a sense of identity and pride for many people. Statues of Washington or Grant, et cetera are begging for historical contextualization. Nellie Peyton, As the Men of Stone Fall, Who Should Rise up and Take Their Place?, news.trust.org, July 2, 2020, 33. These figures were not commonly known to be ridden by equestrians. GREENE: Historian Manisha Sinha is the author of "The Slave's Cause: A History Of Abolition.". Protesters next to a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Va. Statues elevate a person from a historical event rather than demystify it. She was supposed to be the civil rights movements most visible figure until she became pregnant. GORDON-REED: No. Arguments for why Confederate statues should be removed include the Confederacy's shameful history of treason and white supremacy, as well as the original purpose of these statues, which was to intimidate Black Americans while celebrating white power. The statues misrepresent history, and glorify people who perpetuated slavery, attempted secession from United States, and lost the Civil War. A 2018 investigation published in the Smithsonian Magazine found that over the prior ten years at least $40 million in taxpayer dollars were allocated for Confederate statues, other monuments, and heritage organizations. The victors, the thousands of soldiers black and white in the armed forces of the United States, died to protect this country. Evan Andrews, How Many U.S. Presidents Owned Enslaved People?, history.com, Sep. 3, 2019, 45. I think it dishonors them to celebrate the men who killed them and tried to kill off the American nation. I think in general in this country, statues have held up a very white, male virtue. In several cities, these tributes have been vandalized or torn down by protestors or removed by public officials. They honored racial prejudice. 13.8K Followers. Both Washington and Jefferson were critical to the formation of the country and to the shaping of it in its early years No one puts a monument up to Washington or Jefferson to promote slavery I think on these two, Washington and Jefferson, in particular, you take the bitter with sweet. Its also important to distinguish statues from records of history, because thats not what theyre about. In response to a question posed by The Daily Mail, the Queen Mothers statue in Trafalgar Square should be chosen. They often depict political leaders, but more often military leaders. A statue of Lord Charles Colston was erected in Britain more than 60 years before slavery was abolished there. Defend the existence of confederate statues as ways of honoring the past with the United Daughters of the Confederacy, an organization devoted to the memory of Confederate soldiers. The movement against him is part of a wider drive to get rid of monuments to figures who are now. Removing statues is a slippery slope that could lead to the brash removal of monuments to any slightly problematic person. The issue rose to prominence again in 2017 after an Aug. 12 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent and deadly. I also think it gives credence to the kind of exclusionary work that they already perform. They harbored cultural bias. Washington owned over 300, Jefferson over 600, and Grant worked on his wifes family plantation and inherited one slave upon his father-in-laws death. In recent years, there has been a movement to take down statues of historical figures who have been accused of racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry. 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. And that is, in fact, a very imperialist vision. According to media reports, at least 11 statues were severely damaged or destroyed during the true civil rebellion in 2017. Ashlie D. Stevens, As Confederate Monuments Come down, What Should Replace Them?, salon.com, June 17, 2020, 27. The United States was far from perfect, but the values of the Confederacy, open and unrepentant white supremacy and total disregard for the humanity of black people, to the extent they still exist, have produced tragedy and discord. Take away anything that smacks of the sort of imperialist legacy which clearly that statue embodies. GAZETTE: In recent years, many have called for the removal of monuments honoring Confederate officials and other controversial figures, such as Christopher Columbus, with mixed results. MANISHA SINHA: It always astonished me as a Civil War historian to see statues commemorating Confederate generals and politicians who had literally committed treason against this country in order to uphold human bondage. These battles have a strong historical context, as they were influenced by a very Venezuelan tradition: Bolivarian political historicism. Some jurisdictions have placed explanatory plaques beside Confederate monuments to teach a more complete history of the Confederacy. Richard Allen Greene, King Leopold II Statues Are Being Removed in Belgium. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. In the United States, Confederate generals were overthrown or voted out. All rights reserved. On October 12, 2006, a bust of Almirante was smashed in Mrida, Mexico, in the aftermath of the Columbus statues being torn down. 3. Many of them were erected decades after the fall of the Confederacy as a way to remind Black Americans of their place in society. During this period, ethnicities we now consider to be white Irish and Italian, for example were not considered to be white. The SPLC reported at least 160 monuments were removed in 2020 after George Floyds death, more than the prior four years combined At last count, about 704 Confederate monuments remained on public land. 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 extraordinary feats that, on balance, made the world a better place. There are statues of people all over the place, and they should be removed. 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. Also removed from the monument's base was a 133-year-old copper time capsule containing artifacts and ephemera related to the Confederacy. Police stopped these protesters, but statues are coming down around the U.S., yanked down or removed by local governments. So for instance, I just read today that the Museum of Natural History wants to take down a statue of Theodore Roosevelt that has an African American man and a Native American man standing alongside him while he's astride on a horse. If so, how? The removal of monuments erases the memory of those who fought against them in defense of the values they represent. How do we know if statues are supposed to tell the story of our ancestors? 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SINHA: Well, I think it is important not to go from one extreme to the other. Several years have passed since the debate over the removal of Confederate statues began. For example, The cost to remove all the monuments and statues in New Orleans could cost $600,000. Michelangelos David is not only a statue of a man, but also a statue of God. This time also coincided with the creation of many Confederate monuments, though they were coming from a different set of concerns. 2. Those who disagree with the beliefs upheld by the statues should work to understand the history these monuments represent, rather than trying to simply remove them and the history from sight. A similar scenario unfolded in 1918 in France, when the imperios took advantage of the French Revolution to gain power. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. This article was published on January 20, 2022, at Britannicas ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source. This article was published on January 20, 2022, at Britannica's ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source. Make sure to visit the Southern Poverty Law Centers Whose Heritage: Public Symbols of the Confederacy resource. Are you. There are a number of reasons why Confederate monuments should be kept. Yes, other celebrated Americans were also deeply wrong about slavery, but they aspired to something greater. A: What we choose to memorialize speaks to our values as a society, and often, certain populations are excluded entirely from that. She won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for her explosive 2008 work, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.. Because civil rights groups have grown in prominence, the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) dedicated a monument to Shepherd, a so-called faithful slave. Tomas Strakas Vida Poltica de las Estatuas is a collection of essays. The results of these revoluciones can be viewed in the following format: Un momento climtico en el derribamiento de alguna ser industrialization de Marx. ], ProCon.org, "Historic Statue Removal Top 3 Pros & Cons,", ProCon.org, "Historic Statue Removal Top 3 Pros & Cons. BBC, Confederate and Columbus Statues Toppled by US Protesters, bbc.com, June 11, 2020, 21. The concept of La Raza -as* -as* is based on the idea that all latinos are united in EEUU and that they are committed to aquella tradition. Lawrence A. Kuznar, PhD, Professor of Anthropology at Indiana UniversityPurdue University Fort Wayne, stated that removing Confederate statues is a whitewashing of our history that destroys our ability to remember inconvenient truths from our past. Q: Are there any monuments that, even though they send a message most agree is now outdated or harmful, should still be kept as a kind of reminder of what not to do, or what we have overcome? Stupendous vision, energy, competence, and couragedistinguished Christopher Columbus from others of his generation. On the other side, opponents of the statues argue that they celebrate white supremacy. OK, actually, that makes it easier. They want to demolish our heritage so they can impose a new oppressive regime in its place. [9] Trump argued the plight to save the statues is a battle to save the Heritage, History, and Greatness of our Country! [34], Citizens of the United States have the right to hold controversial opinions and build statues to honor their beliefs. There are a variety of reasons why Confederate monuments should be removed from public spaces. A statue of Josphine de Beauharnais, who married Napoleon and became his first wife, was ripped down in Martinique. The Straka is spelled with a T. Monument in Madrid, Spain. PRO: These monuments should be removed because they honor slavery and segregation CON: Confederate monuments should stay because they connect past racial crimes to current racial inequality Nearly every heavy-crane company in southern Louisiana has received threats from opponents. There are valid arguments on both sides, and there is no easy answer. The rally protested the proposed removal of statues of Confederate Army GeneralsRobert E. LeeandStonewall Jackson. And there was a real concern about assimilating these immigrants into you can call it Americanization, but what it really was was an assimilation into white, Protestant culture. Here's What to Know, time.com, June 24, 2020, 2. [5], The Virginia statues still stood amid the protests following the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, though they were tagged with graffiti then (and later removed on July 10, 2021). So what should be the standard for taking down a statue? [44] Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the white suffragists purposefully excluded black women. The definition of a statue includes a work of art that represents something as well. The announcement caused a stir because it made it clear that nothing else has been done to honor him until now: no other president has done so. Ive been studying the impact of Black Lives Matter on statues and memorials around the world for the past few months. In particular, a lot of our civic buildings our courthouses, our state capitals, even our public squares and parks are in the neoclassical style. Consider appealing to the American Alliance of Museums for the use of the statues removed from public display. Rebecca Klar, Arthur Ashe Statue on Richmond's Monument Avenue Tagged with White Lives Matter Graffiti, thehill.com, June 17, 2020, 50. Colleen Walsh, Must We Allow Symbols of Racism on Public Land?, harvard.edu, June 19, 2020, 44. Even after the statues were erected, there was never a common ground between them. The First Amendment protects everyones speech, not just the speech approved by the majority. They teach us, and it depends on us whether we practice what we learn. "Historic Statue Removal Top 3 Pros & Cons." What Should Take Their Place? Southern Poverty Law Center, Whose Heritage? The people who hated having black classmates at their school didn't hate us because there were statues of Robert E. Lee or George Washington (our nation's first President and a slave owner) on. Federal judge rules Pennsylvania school district must allow After School Satan Facebook privacy settlement: Who is eligible for a payment? If we disqualified all figures because we now reject their societys practices, we would commemorate few people indeed, and we would deprive ourselves of many sources of inspiration. Neil Vigdor and Daniel Victor, "Over 160 Confederate Symbols Were Removed in 2020, Group Says," nytimes.com, Feb. 23, 2021, 56. [14] [55], In June 2021, the US House of Representatives voted to remove all confederate statues and bust of Roger B. Taney (the US Supreme Court Chief Justice who wrote the Dred Scott decision) from the US Capitols Statuary Hall. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. In fact, even Robert E. Lee opposed Confederate statues. Was there no other way to handle that situation? Basically any time a new government or regime or religion comes in, stuff gets torn down, temples get sacked. 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Nelson argues that her classmates at Washington & Lee University didnt hate [black students] because there were statues of Robert E. Lee or George Washington (our nations first President and a slave owner) on campus. Interview was edited for clarity and space. When activists deface statues, ultimately what theyre doing is forcing the citys hand so that they either have to put money into restoration, which doubles down on whatever message that monument is sending, or they can just remove it. Robert E. Lees statue, for example, is regarded as particularly offensive due to his role in defending slavery and the Confederacy. Were trying to let the government know were not going to wait any longer for our freedom to happen. [19] Celebrations of Columbus have long been criticized due to his colonization and genocide of Indigenous people, as well as the false narrative that he discovered America when he never set foot on North America. Should Statues Be Removed Pros And Cons - Stay informed with breaking news, in-depth analysis and community coverage. The Confederate statues have no redeeming qualities to them, but other statues certainly do. The main duty is not to hide the bitter parts. [43]. They were on the wrong side of history. Claudette Colvin was a member of the Womens Missionary Union before Rosa Parks was born. Sarah Fling, The Formerly Enslaved Household of the Grant Family, whitehousehistory.org, Apr. And the vast majority of these statues were erected during the height of the Jim Crow movement, as historian Kevin M. Kruse has shown. Venezuelas mezcla is characterized by a lack of eclecticism, as well as a widespread, general sense of izquierda. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Or they go up because of T.J.s views on separation of church and state and other values that we hold dear. History will still be taught. 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. Monuments of people statuary I think come out of a tradition of imitation. This is the first statue of a black person to be installed in Statuary Hall, and it was commissioned by the state. 5. Jason Hanna and Ralph Ellis, "Charlottesville Removes Two Confederate Statues as Onlookers Cheer," cnn.com, July 10, 2021, 55. David Greene talks to Manisha Sinha, professor of American history at the University of Connecticut, about the recent toppling of non-Confederate statues like those of George Washington. There is no path to a peaceful and prosperous country without challenging and rejecting that as a basis for our society. The SPLC reported at least 160 monuments were removed in 2020 after George Floyds death, more than the prior four years combined At last count, about 704 Confederate monuments remained on public land. List two to three ways. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [26] A monument to the victims of slavery has also been suggested. Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: When do we want it? The interpretations have been contradictory, and the results are presented in the form of commentaries. He was also an abolitionist, though a hypocritical and pragmatic one who understood the country would not give up slavery so easily. What that signals is a shift in power.. And thats so important, because future generations will see those images of self-representation of groups that have traditionally been excluded from these monuments making a statement about how colonization has affected them, or how they have survived and are resilient. I cannot see myself pulling down a statue in that way. So these statues, I think, need to be contextualized historically. Charisse L'Pree, Racial and Gender Exclusion from Media Affects Novel Group Identity; An Experimental Investigation of Symbolic Annihilation, sites.google.com/site/charisselpree2 (accessed July 8, 2020), 29. Despite Nicole Douglas' team-leading 14th goal of the season, the Sun Devil soccer team was unable to claim its first Pac-12 victory of the season after falling to the Oregon State Beavers, 2-1 on Thursday night. GAZETTE: In the past, people have suggested the monuments should stay, but that additional plaques or other information should be incorporated to add context. Of those who support the idea in the latest poll, 84% . [4], Monuments are ultimately about which values we want to honor and put on public display. 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. Any statue removal may result in the removal of monuments from any individual with a problematic history. 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. You said that moving to statues like George Washington and the Founding Fathers is going from one extreme to another extreme. The statue in this state refers to the state constitution or an act of the legislature or initiative or referendum. These monuments are controversial because they are seen by some as honoring the Confederacy and its pro-slavery and white supremacist policies and by others as historical markers of the nations history. 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. The Confederate statues have no redeeming qualities to them, but other statues certainly do. Mississippis secession declaration states, Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery the greatest material interest of the world. The stone sentinels that dot our landscape serve as artifacts of the past, providing us with a visual sign of where we may still go. NPR Morning Edition, For Stanton, All Women Were Not Created Equal, npr.org, July 13, 2011, 46. Jack Jenkins, How the Charleston Shooting Is Linked to the Confederate Flag, According to A South Carolinian, thinkprogress.org, June 19, 2015, 3. SINHA: Exactly. The statues can be kept without glorifying what they once stood for. The 12th of October 2004 marks the beginning of a new era in Venezuela. The significance of a Civil War memorial varies from group to group, and there is always an urgent need for history to be told. Monuments to men who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end are a grotesque affront to these ideals. A 2018 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center found there are more than 1,700 monuments to the Confederacy still in public spaces. Politics, national security, and occasional nerdery. Ted Mann, Lincoln Statue With Kneeling Black Man Becomes Target of Protests, wsj.com, June 25, 2020, 14. [10] [11] [12], Washington, Jefferson, and Grant had undeniable ties to slavery. This was before he became president or even commanded the Union Army. https://www.britannica.com/story/pro-and-con-historic-statue-removal-in-the-united-states, According to theSouthern Poverty Law Center. They didnt like having black classmates because they had racist hearts. They can be kept in museums with proper historical context rather than on a plinth to be admired. First, virtually everyone acts in ways consistent with contemporaneous social normsnorms of which later generations may disapprove. Taking them down is to censor, whitewash, and potentially forget that history. 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. Perhaps that is precisely why the standard is flouted by those who want to politicize everything. Chan School of Public Health celebrates opening of $25M Thich Nhat Hanh Center for research, approaches to mindfulness, Women who suppressed emotions had less diverse microbiomes in study that also found specific bacterial link to happiness, Tenn. lawmaker Justin Pearson, Parkland survivor David Hogg 23 talk about tighter gun control, GOP attempts to restrict voting rights, importance of local politics, Dangers involved in rise of neurotechnology that allows for tracking of thoughts, feelings examined at webinar, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. When the statues are publicly owned, removing them by wanton destruction still usurps decision-making authority from the public. On the other hand, others argue that they are offensive and should be removed. According to the poll, in August 2017, 39% supported the removal of Confederate statues compared to 52% who wanted to get rid of them in June. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Monuments of Hope, Memorials to a Poisoned Past, britannica.com, May 25, 2018, 23. Plaques can describe the history of slavery and the Civil War, as well as the white supremacist legacy that led to the creation of such monuments. Confederate monuments, in particular, hold religious, cultural, economic, and political values. The Avalon Project, Confederate States of America - A Declaration of the Causes which Impel the State of Texas to Secede from the Federal Union, avalon.law.yale.edu (accessed July 8, 2020), 16. Should we not honor the contributions of Washington, Jefferson, and Grant to the United States because they owned slaves, as did many men of their standing at the time, even though they struggled with the institution? At the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth, a significant portion of anti-imperialist and Bolivarian thinking was based on those ideas. 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'. By writing to US national senators and representatives, you can advocate for the position and policies you believe in. The bus will arrive in Che Guevaras honor. And then he went on, in fact, to defeat the Confederacy, which was extremely important in the destruction of slavery. The intention was to intimidate Black while reinforcing white power structures in America. For example, a statue of black abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass was damaged over the July 4, 2020 weekend in Rochester, New York. Moving such monuments to museums or other places where they can be contextualized and interpreted is a goal of the National Trust. It would be odd for me to condone other people doing something I would not do. When it was founded, there was a lot of discussion about how it was important to have representations of leaders of civic virtue in the space where our current leaders are, so they have an example to strive for. 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]. We will know who Robert E. Lee was. These are various statues across the US which honor Confederate leaders or "heroes". What did the Civil War mean for both the Union and the Confederacy? GORDON-REED: Ha! Jackson was a slave owner. If there are statues of black Americans in the future, such as Kehinde Wileys 2019 statue of a black man riding horseback in a pose similar to those of Confederate statues, they could be built.