The Robert E. Lee Statue Should Be Removed

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”.

People that are against the removal of the statue are comparing this removal to the issues that have arisen about removing civil war statues. On March 30, 2018, a civil war monument in Asheville had the face of General Robert E Lee scratched off, and this is only one case of civil war monuments throughout the United States that are being vandalized. One argument for the removal of these statues is that they serve as a reminder of a history where people have been mistreated, and their ancestors are offended by these reminders. On the other side of the argument, people say it is history, and the statues should remain. These same arguments are now being used concerning the removal of Chief Pontiac. Since Harry’s on the Hill included the decision to remove the statue with the apology, people feel the decision was made because Sabrina Arch was offended by the statue, and the statue was not the original intent of Arch’s letter to the Cherokee One Feather. As an example, on June 16, 2018, Cherokee One Feather posted an editorial addressing the issue that the regional media has made this about the statue. The article stated, “a Cherokee tribal member, was an object of discrimination based on race and the headlines and leads of many media outlets around the region focused on a community’s beloved icon.” The thoughts of this

This article was written by Barry D. Wood, who is a writer and broadcaster, and published by the Charlotte Observer on June 3rd, 2017. The intended audience for this article would be for those who have interest and care about the removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee, as there consists of many specific references to people or events. However, the general public could read the article to obtain one side of the argument. The author believes that removing the statue of Robert E. Lee is a disgrace and begins by saying that it would be “a slap in the face” to many Americans. He writes that the building the statue of Lee was a tribute to him by honoring his greatness, not a “whitewashing” of history. By taking down the statue is actually whitewashing

I am anti-Confederacy, which puts me at about the same place as most people of color in this situation. I believe that people who do not desire to be reminded of a past that affected them or their loved ones, should not be forced to. Imagine that someone in your family or someone close to your heart was in some way distressed by slavery, it would be understandable for someone to be upset by that, too. Considering this, I believe that the officials who originally proposed the Robert E. Lee statue be removed should proceed with this movement.

Recently on Saturday, hundreds of protestors made their way to Charlottesville, Virginia for a “Unite the Right” rally. Those in favor of the alt-right rally, believe that it was triggered because of the plan of taking down of Robert E. Lee’s statue. “Robert E. Lee was the leading Confederate General during the U.S. Civil War and has been venerated as a heroic figure in the South.” (Biography.com Editors. 27 Apr. 2017).

Angela Rye said that Washington was not protecting her ancestors freedom. “So to me, I don't care if it's a George Washington statue or a Thomas Jefferson statue or a Robert E. Lee statue. They all need to come down,” Rye said. So surely she wouldn’t object to renaming our capital city, Washington DC, or the Evergreen state of Washington. In fact, Rye, Sharpton, and those who think like them should be openly advocating for these renamings. It’s bad enough we honor a slave owner with statues, but an entire state AND the city our government operates in? Why shouldn’t we rename

Many people see on the tv or the news that people have been vandalizing statues of confederate soldiers well they don’t show the opposing side of the story.many people do actually not know the size of the opposing side, according to a Marist poll, 62 percent of Americans voted in favor keeping the Confederate statues, while only 27 percent  wanted to take them down.The statutes can show the meaning of courage and bravery to fight for what you believe in.William Stage explained the knowledge of, “acknowledging and even respecting the general principle of the courage and beliefs of all men at arms.” This explains that you can at least admire that they kept by their beliefs.Another perspective: we can see other ideas of slavery like mt. rushmore like george washington even supported the belief of slavery.Mr. Stewart published in a newspaper:

This shows that removing them is upsetting more than just some hate groups, but also law-abiding citizens who embrace this side of U.S. history. In addition, violence has gone on even without the Confederate monuments. For example, the Ku Klux Klan, they did not have the monuments to base their actions on, yet they harmed and struck fear throughout towns. According to Nelson, "I don’t fear 150-year-old statues of old dead white men. What I fear is the hatred we see in real time in 2017 on social media and in our political rhetoric," (2017).

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

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

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

There are an infinitely amount of events that have occurred throughout the history of mankind. Yet, it is impossible for any single person to recollect or to have lived through all of the events that have happened in the world. Because of this, we as a society can only witness second-hand what has been documented by those who actually lived through these events before us. With this documentation comes a lot of trust, because without living through historical events, it is impossible for one to really know what is and isn’t true. This is why we must ensure that the history that is remembered, is in fact the truth, and the entire story. Unfortunately, those in power have chosen to leave out many portions of our history; and as a society, we must change this so that truth prevails. A prime example of this is the Battle of Liberty Place Monument in Louisiana. The Battle of Liberty Place monument in Louisiana only tells half the history of an event that should never be forgotten. The vision it currently displays is that White lives mean more than Blacks lives do, and it does this by honoring only the lives lost of racist White supremacists in a fight of discrimination. This is atrocious and yet this ideal that Black lives don’t matter has been present and still affects American society to this day. We plan on changing this monument to show the whole truth of the event, and highlighting the terrible racism that occurred during this event so that we may learn from it, and never

“‘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.