One of the things I’d like to see in my lifetime is the removal of every single Confederate monument displayed on public land. These monuments are the ultimate in participation trophies.
The people these statues attempt to glorify took up arms against the United States of America. They were also resoundingly beaten. The Confederates were forced to surrender in defeat because they were beaten into submission on the battlefield.
The Confederates don’t deserve statues or monuments. They didn’t earn them. Statues and monuments are for winners. Statues and monuments are for those who fought for what was right and just.
The Confederates didn’t do that. They fought so people could continue to own other people. They fought for one of the most revolting and disgusting reasons people can fight other people for: the continuation of slavery.
Just because you participate in something doesn’t mean you deserve a trophy, or in the case of the Civil War, a monument.
Robert E. Lee doesn’t deserve a statue displayed on public land. He was a traitor. He resigned his commission in the United States Army and took up arms against the United States. He was personally responsible for the death of thousands of Americans. He no more deserves a statue displayed for the purpose of memorization then does Osama bin laden.
Robert E. Lee and Osama bin laden had a lot of common. They both sent men to kill Americans. Osama bin laden killed Americans in the name of Islam. Robert E. Lee killed Americans in the name of extending the institution of slavery.
I’d like to see each and every Confederate statue gathered up and dumped in the middle of the ocean. It’s what they did with Osama bin laden’s body. It strikes me as a fitting end for all the Confederate participation trophies currently littering our country.
And since it is my understanding that most of these statues were installed in the early 20th century, their purpose was to strengthen Southern White resolve to circumvent desegregation and uphold Jim Crow Laws.
Yep. These statues are really Jim Crow era propaganda monuments.
Interesting point Rick. I personally don’t care for statues memorializing slavery but it is important to remember our past so we don’t repeat our mistakes. I think the statues should stay but put in their proper context. A plaque or historical marker should be added to the sites that explain what occurred.
Likewise, the bust of Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood at the Smithsonian Institute should have language describing how she has contributed to the deaths of more than 19 million black babies since the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision legalized abortion in our country. No amount of slavery has devastated more life’s than her.
We’ll need to agree to disagree.
I concur. I respect your opinion and believe in civil discourse.