Tearing Down History
Given the past weekend’s events in Charlottesville, I thought now would be an appropriate time to have a discussion about the debate over removing Confederate statuary. As this is a Blog (and more specifically my blog) it won’t be much of a discussion if you don’t comment or question so please express yourself. Sorry I’ve been away so long but life has gotten busy and “blogger” is a low priority on the list of hats that I wear. So to the seven of you (Hi Mom!) who have been waiting for my return let’s go.
Backseat Memories (Not those kind)
As a child, I remember peering out of the back seat window at the striking statue. With wings that reach up over 20 ft, the angel of Fame clutches to her breast a dying confederate soldier with one arm while the other hand holds a laurel crown of Victory which she is about to place on the fallen heroes head. This emotional work signals the entrance to the downtown area of Salisbury, North Carolina, birthplace of Food Lion, Cheerwine, and yours truly.
This statue, like most Confederate honoraries, wasn’t created and dedicated until the early 1900s, meaning almost half a century had passed since the beginning of the Civil War. The Lee statue in Charlottesville was placed in 1924 putting it 60 years after the conflict and the “Confederate flag” recently removed from the South Carolina state capitol didn’t go up until 1961.
Heritage Not Hate
To many these symbols are representations of the cruel institution of slavery and painful reminders of the segregation and disfranchisement that followed. Others see them as a point of pride in their heritage and symbolic of the resiliency of the Southern spirit. Where the NAACP and many white nationalist agree is that they are symbols of a white man’s America. This unexpected convergence in beliefs is why one group wants them taken down while the other fights to keep them.
I would argue that no other region of inhabitants of the U.S. have more pride of place than Southerners. Much of this regional pride stems from the feeling that they have been viewed as second-class or have been subjugated by an outside power. (Much as the Basque in Spain or the Scottish and Irish who make up a great portion of our lineage) These feelings were in fact the true cause of the Civil War, whether it be cloaked in the hazy arguments of the states’ rights or the more honest belief that slavery was necessary to preserve the Southern economy and culture.
Open to Interpretation
While the meaning and purpose of these symbols can, has, and will continue to be argued, I would like to point out one simple fact. They are symbols. Taking them down, just like putting them up, is symbolic and doesn’t truly create or destroy history. These actions are merely expressions of society and its beliefs at a particular time and place. When you look around the world you rarely find so much stonework dedicated to those who attempted a violent overthrow of the established and ultimately victorious government and although they may stoke pride in many white Southerners they serve as painful reminders to many of our black brethren.
So, if these and other statues are removed who will then teach us about the past? Why history teachers, of course. And to the young lady that writes for the Alt-right online newspaper who suggested that Lee’s statue (and others like it) help African Americans remember their own past, I’m sure the disproportionate representation in prison population, disparity in test scores, and barriers to full participation in the economy will serve as gentle reminders.
Alt Middle 
Well done, sir.
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Agreed, Agreed.
There is a reason. that the Holocaust Museum exists. …so that we may learn from our (mankinds) mistakes. Taking down monuments doesn’t erase or rewrite history. Thank Goodness we still have teachers that want to inspire students to learn from history. History in itself is a great teacher….keep showing the way!!!!❤️
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When there is not a single homeless person, or a hungry child, or a veteran who considers taking their own life rather than facing tomorrow, I will consider taking up this discussion. Until then, I will love my neighbor, whatever their ethnic background, political slant, or sexual preference. I will do this because my parents raised me this way and my God commands it.
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If given a single vote on whether or not to remove confederate statues, I would vote No, but not because I fail to see that many, African-Americans in particular, view those symbols as representing a time in which there forebears were not treated well. I would vote no because of the upheaval that is fallout from those decisions. When the Confederate Battle flag was flown over the State House in SC, it clearly was a “making a statement” that was both devisive and excluding to many of the citizens of that state, as well as many visitors to the state; and it clearly needed to be removed. I do not associate any similar government “statements” with statues or memorials to confederate soldiers or units, especially when located in parks or grounds to which someone must specifically go, to encounter them. I further believe that by entering into the “deep closet” of civil war analysis, we risk a near never-ending attempt to divest all representations of that horrible part of our history; and yet, it is our history. Our country was threatened with ceasing to exist. Without that part of history, perhaps we would have been born into the CSA in which slavery still existed; in which African-Americans didn’t have the rights they have today. Yes, individuals and units who fought to destroy the Union were honored during a period when we still had not recognized the rights of all people, but the overwhelming truth is that the Union was preserved, allowing us to continue to pursue the American Dream. If the statues are removed in every county, in every state, and then we go on to change all the highways and schools named for some confederate-connected entity, we will still have inequalities and divisions that require our hard work to insure the rights to all people; in fact, I fear we may have more. I have no pride in the Confederacy and am proud that the outcome of the civil war was the recovery and continuation of the greatest country in the history of the world. I support continuing to work towards equality for all, but I think we need more “malice toward none”.
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As someone who grew up in Columbia, SC, I remember the Confederate Flag flying above the State Capitol. There are monuments on the State Capitol that are of Confederate heritage as well as monuments to officials that also contributed to the Jim Crow laws too. Personally I feel that maybe some of the monuments should be displayed in a museum, not on grounds of civic instutions. Museums are where the past can be viewed and understood. Museums can show some of the visual monuments and express the contribution to history and that contribution good and bad. I agree that history teachers will be able to teach the past, but our society seems to be moving towards attacking authority of teachers and facts that are true. Polticians on both sides are trying to influence history so that it should be taught in ways that perhaps makes their ideals seem responsible for all the positive and good things of history while showing the bad things as created by their rival party. I’m glad you have written again. Have been wondering your insight on some of the current events going on.
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