Should all Confederate Statues be removed from display?

The family of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, one of the most famous of all confederate generals.

"Confederate monuments like the Jackson statue were never intended as benign symbols," wrote two of Jackson's great-great grandsons.

"Rather, they were the clearly articulated artwork of white supremacy."

In an open letter to the mayor of Richmond, Virginia - where they live - they called for the removal of statues celebrating their ancestor.

"While we are not ashamed of our great-great-grandfather, we are ashamed to benefit from white supremacy while our black family and friends suffer. We are ashamed of the monument," they wrote.

"As two of the closest living relatives to Stonewall, we are writing today to ask for the removal of his statue, as well as the removal of all Confederate statues from Monument Avenue. They are overt symbols of racism and white supremacy, and the time is long overdue for them to depart from public display."

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sunrisehawk · 61-69, M

It is a slippery slope when you start erasing history in the name of current opinion. Either you learn from history and teach future generations about the good and bad or you fail them.

Plus it seems to me that this current drive to remove statues and monuments is focused only on one time period. They ignore many others who had similar or even more extreme view who are in the "progressive" camp.

History has taught that many monuments are placed with certain meaning and that meaning changes over the years until they stand for something very different.

bijouxbroussard · F

@sunrisehawk This is why we have [b]museums[/b], to preserve history so it's not forgotten. But the fact that many of these monuments sprung up around the Civil Rights Era indicates that their [b]intent[/b] was in racist celebration of that ugly past. When Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated, people celebrated by raising the Confederate battle flag. It is the symbol of white supremacists along with the swastika, to this day. Who in good conscience can possibly deny that it represents hatred ?

sunrisehawk · 61-69, M

@bijouxbroussard Many of the monuments were in recognition, not of racism and hatred, but of heroism and sacrifice. To make lump all together is a terrible lesson to teach our young generations.

If those advocating removal of all Confederate monuments were being honest, they would want some removed and others left. Instead it is little more than erasure.

There is so much forgotten history in our museums it is frighting. It is hard enough to get people to recognized statues and such. To remove them from public view is nothing more than trying to forget.

bijouxbroussard · F

@sunrisehawk Heroism ? Fighting for the right to own other human beings ? We define that very differently, then. And you cannot expect the resentments about slavery, the segregationists and the lynchings to go away while continuing to celebrate those who fought specifically to maintain those things. You can't have it both ways.

sunrisehawk · 61-69, M

@bijouxbroussard If you believe that every man or woman who supported the southern cause was fighting for slavery, then you and I have a very different view of humanity and history. It was a critical element and there were many southerners (and northerners - copperheads - democrats) who supported slavery for many different reasons.

Since you believe that erasing all evidence outside of museums will somehow cure the sin of slavery it doesn't leave a lot of room for reminding and educating others to ensure that we avoid that sin in the future.

bijouxbroussard · F

@sunrisehawk Those who fought for the Confederacy were fighting to preserve their way of life and economy, which was based upon owning other human beings. I'm certain we have a different view of humanity, because as the descendant of U.S. slaves I'm obliged to consider [b]their[/b] humanity, as well.

Do you honestly think the white supremacists fighting to keep those statues and flags prominently displayed are doing it to "remind and educate others to ensure we avoid" such discrimination in future ? Then I have a bridge to sell you. These are the same people who resent Black History Month, which came into being (originally Black History Week) because little about the complete history was being taught in U.S. public schools.