Confederate Statues In Memphis Analysis

Imagine walking through a town plaza and suddenly spotting a bust depicting Adolf Hitler, or a statue of a Nazi Swastika. A passerby may stare in horror upon its recognition, and wonder why a symbol of such hatred and violence is displayed prominently in a town. These statues would incite an uproar and immediate demands to remove such offensive monuments. Thankfully, such a situation would never arise in modern America; however, a similar plight is unfolding across the country concerning the removal of Confederate statues. Confederate statues should not be displayed in public areas because they are reminders of a time when racial violence went unpunished, they are honoring people who wanted to keep other

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 David Sarratt’s article “The Confederate Flag: Controversy and Culture” (2005), he explains both sides of the Confederate Flag controversy, including current controversy and the issue of race involved in the Confederate Flag. Sarratt supports his claim with facts and examples of the Confederate Flag debate between David Beasley, who thinks the flag should be taken down and Charles Condon who opposes taking the flag down. He gives reasons in order to not support the Confederate Flag and a few details to elaborate it as well. His article interests readers who are mostly against the Confederate Flag.

In the article “I Detest Our Confederate Monuments. But They Should Remain”, by Lawrence Kuznar, an anthropologist writes about the Confederate Monuments and why they should remain. Kuznar believes by removing the monuments, it makes no difference. Regardless of whether history is favorable or not, the monuments exist in places that are designed to celebrate their subjects. These statues and monuments have no place in town squares, city parks or any other public place beyond battlefields, private property or out of view from the public.

In the New York Times article, “Take Down the Confederate Flag, Symbol of Hatred”, Governor Nikki Haley has called to remove the confederate flag from the state capitol grounds. It has become a controversial topic in the past few weeks. Many people are calling for it to be removed since the incident at Charleston African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The removal of the Confederate Battle Flag. Was this a justifiable move made by South Carolina governor Nikki Haley or will this lead to more hatred among South Carolina residents and other United States citizens? The Civil War took place because of many disagreements between the Union and the Confederacy. One major disagreement, considered non-negotiable by both sides, was the ownership and sale of African American slaves. Now, the South Carolina Legislature has voted to remove the flag from the property of the South Carolina Capitol based upon recent events and the controversial opinion that this flag promotes racism. The Confederate flag and all other Civil War symbols should be removed because they convey the idea that racism is acceptable

Do you think the confederate flag is a racial profile symbol? Many people don’t think it should be taken down but I think it should be taken down. Three reasons why the confederate flags should be removed are the flags are treason, it was a symbol of trying to keep slavery, and Southerners believed it’s free speech to show the flags and it’s not freedom.

Racist or history? Demeaning or heritage? Questions like these arise when the confederate flag is discussed. People may argue that the Confederate Flag is a racist hate symbol, but ultimately the flag’s roots are benign because it symbolizes history of war, southern pride, and secession of the confederate states. Being entitled to your own opinion is not wrong in itself, but once things are brought out of proportion it can harm others physically or emotionally. Learning the background of the Confederate flag can help some realize its true meaning and prevent more controversy.

Thesis: As the debate continues on whether or not we should keep confederate monuments and symbols displayed publicly, it is important that we recognize both the benefits and downfalls of removing these symbols.

Confederate statues depict anti-abolitionists as heroes and very honorable men, therefore they should be removed. These men who are depicted as heroes fought for the institution of slavery. These statues not only glorify anti-abolitionists but they remind people of the strong racism of the time. Many people fight for the removal of these statues for the sole reason that they “serve as constant reminders of institutional racism, segregation and

Learning from our wrongs and correcting them is what our country has always done in the past. On no issues has our country tried to pretend a problem did not exist. We have had disagreements on problems within our country, but never has it hidden its problems. Getting rid of confederate monuments is the same as attempting to erase the pages out of history books. Once history books no longer teach students about the horrors of slavery history is bound to repeat.

Confederate Monuments have been a hot topic of debate through the years of whether they should stay or go. Throughout history the idea of removing the Confederate Monuments has been perceived as the best possible solution citing that they had a sense of evilness and could flare up racial emotions. While a strong point could be made for the removal of Confederate Monuments, the Confederate monuments should stay in public places because they honor timeless virtues, they could be used as figures to reflect upon our nation’s past and they could be used to educate future generations.

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.

51 years after the ending of the Civil War, you’d think that conflicts regarding Confederacy would be over. However, Confederacy issues just continue to get worse. Many Americans still believe and honor Confederate ethics. While many Americans strongly oppose the Confederacy. They believe that the Confederacy is responsible for destroying families, taking lives, and causing the bloodiest war in American history. Those Americans feel like we shouldn’t honor Confederacy and don’t want monuments or statues representing Confederacy here. Especially after hate crimes like the attack on an predominant African American church in South Carolina. It’s easy to understand why these people feel this way, as slavery and discrimination shouldn’t be represented on the “Land

“‘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.