Analysis Of Why We Should Keep The Confederate Monuments Right Where They Are By John Daniel Davidson

In his article “New Orleans Is Wrong to Remove Its Confederate Monuments,” John Daniel Davidson argues that New Orleans is taking down their statues for purely political purpose, instead of inclusion and tolerance. First, Davidson depicts men in black showing up to statues lies with sniper’s ready for any trouble that may arise. By doing so he claims that the Confederate monuments should be kept standing. To support his claim, Davidson brings up many issues that arose from these statues or Confederate symbols is the past such as the mass shooting in South Carolina and many schools in the South taking many steps to rid themselves of any Confederate monument. Next, he reminds us that the only thing keeping some of these statues up is the state

Another issue with the statues are the actual subjects monumentalized. Notable people that are commemorated with having models of themselves publicly displayed are usually figures that the people of America are proud of, like Abraham Lincoln or Harriet Tubman. Confederate statues, however, are the exception; for they are monuments that represent the institutionalization of racism. “Our public spaces should not glorify historical policies of hatred and racism,” argues Kevin Kamenetz, executive and president of the Maryland Association of Counties (Eversley 2017). That single phrase perfectly sums up what people across the country are attempting to convey, and expresses the main issue that many have with these statues. No person who fought for the right to keep humans as property is deserving of modern honor.

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”.

In the article "The Monuments Must Go”, Christian and Christian are writing to the Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, Levar Stoney, as well as the members from the Monument Avenue Commission and requesting them to remove the Confederate statue of Stonewall Jackson along with the rest of the Confederate monuments that lie along Monument Avenue. The authors argue that these monuments in Richmond, Virginia that line up Monument Avenue serve to preserve a racist ideology. Christian and Christian begin their article by initially stating, “We are native Richmonders and also the great-great-grandsons of Stonewall Jackson. 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

In the “Speech Upon the removal of Confederate Monuments”, The Speaker, Mitch Landrieu, contrasts a dark past with the hope of a light future, arguing that in order to move on from the past, confederate symbols need to be taken off pedestals. Landrieu professes that to unite as a country, to teach the generations of the future, and to learn from the past’s mistakes, the confederate monuments should be removed. Through rhetorical devices, the speaker argues his values.

Karen Cox bluntly states which side she has taken in the argument. Her title blatantly says that the “Monuments Must Fall”. Throughout her article, there are few facts about how the monuments were built between 1890 and 1920, a time of extreme violence in the South between white supremacists and the African American Community. The article is lacking debate from other points of view. Therefore, the article seems very opinionated. Karen is a white female, she has empathy for the African American community. Although, she can’t possibly know how the monuments make them feel. Including an

Statues, monuments and historical markers across the United States were settled to memorize the confederacy around 150 years after the  Civil War ended. They are interpreted as history and honor heritage markers, but on the contrary, some think they are racist symbols of America’s dark legacy of slavery.

In the article “Confederate Statues Are About Maintaining White Supremacy” is about the people who support the removal of the Confederate statues. They believe that the monuments symbolize racial injustices that were made from the past and it also emphasizes how the confederate statues represent the economic and political power of the white elites with their use of racial identity. “The monument avenue is one example of the fiendishly covetous ways Southern politicians and profiteers used racial identity, urban development, and Confederate memory to cement their own economic and political power” (Julian Maxwell). In this phrase, the author tries to emphasize why the removal of the Confederate monuments should be considered by the government

Thesis Statement: In America today we are faced with many problems, a major issue facing us right now is the idea of confederate monuments to be removed.This affects a group of people that have a personal connection with the history of the confederate monument, but for many of us it’s an insult because some of the confederate monuments were built on an idea to keep white supremacy alive.As a community we have to find a way that we can keep the extremest happy with their monuments without anyone being seriously injured.

No matter what a person’s race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation is, everyone should enjoy equality. In the speech Speech Upon the Removal of Confederate Monuments by Mitch Landrieu, the Mayor of New Orleans, the removal of the Confederate monuments in New Orleans is discussed. The speech emphasises the fact that the Confederacy was wrong pertaining to their treatment of African Americans, and instead of teaching history, the Confederate monuments convey an image of inequality and violence. Mitch Landrieu argues for the deconstruction of historic Confederate monuments through his allusions to past historic events to contrast the modern shift of equality, so he can call the people to action to deconstruct the monuments. Through the

Even so, forgetfulness is not the total issue. People are now taking our history out of context because it is not what they want to hear. Many of the memorials honor Confederate leaders and soldiers without any mention on slavery, yet people do not know the truth. Humans are blind because of their ignorance. “Confederate symbols were at once works of art, affirmation of the Lost Cause and tributes to white Southerners,” (“Monumental Battle” 8). Many generations of today do not know the truth of the statues and what they stand for. The statues can be used for educational purposes if they are allowed to speak but that is decided by the people.

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.

First, removing all these statues and monuments cost a lot of money and take a long time. For example, The cost to remove all the monuments and statues in New Orleans could cost $600,000. Thats a lot of money for one city to pay for, and that money could be used for more important things. Another reason I feel that we should keep these statues and monuments because it’s a part of our history. Yes, the Confederacy did believe in slavery, but it isn’t about honoring slavery. It’s about understanding that this is what we once were as a nation. Keeping this symbolizes how far we’ve come as a country and how much we’ve progressed. Taking these monuments down would be in a way an attempt to erase our

“‘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.