Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. The announcement caused a stir because it made it clear that nothing else has been done to honor him until now: no other president has done so. 1. Second, because almost everyone conforms in most respects to prevailing social practices, disqualification for such conduct is necessarily arbitrary and driven more by politics than by merit. For example, The cost to remove all the monuments and statues in New Orleans could cost $600,000. 746 Words3 Pages. What did the Civil War mean for both the Union and the Confederacy? These statues are a reminder of our history, both good and bad. The bus will arrive in Che Guevaras honor. In June 2021, the US House of Representatives voted to remove all confederate statues and bust of Roger B. Taney (the US Supreme Court Chief Justice who wrote the Dred Scott decision) from the US Capitol's Statuary Hall. The statues in major British cities are being reviewed. The Onion looks at the pros and cons of removing historical statues. In several cities, these tributes have been vandalized or torn down by protestors or removed by public officials. The removal of Confederate statues is a painful reminder of the countrys racist past and present. NPR Morning Edition, For Stanton, All Women Were Not Created Equal, npr.org, July 13, 2011, 46. They glorify people who were responsible for terrible things. It would be odd for me to condone other people doing something I would not do. Annie Grayer and Clare Foran, "Statue Honoring Mary McLeod Bethune Unveiled in Statuary Hall in US Capitol,". And I think most Civil War historians have been against Confederate statues - if not removal, at least with contextualization. Personally, I think there are other ways to remember our racist history as a society. The main duty is not to hide the bitter parts. Theyre models of civic behavior that we should all strive to. The consensus renders the commemoration process more meaningful and less political than it otherwise would be. I think it dishonors them to celebrate the men who killed them and tried to kill off the American nation. Federal judge rules Pennsylvania school district must allow After School Satan Facebook privacy settlement: Who is eligible for a payment? Take away these men who seem to be inferior to Roosevelt, but leave him. Lawrence A. Kuznar, I Detest Our Confederate Monuments. Thats a lot of money for one city to pay for, and that money could be used for more important things. [10] [11] [12], Washington, Jefferson, and Grant had undeniable ties to slavery. The Day of the Race has been condemned by social science as a result of its extreme racism, including the Nazism of World War II. Also removed from the monuments base was a 133-year-old copper time capsule containing artifacts and ephemera related to the Confederacy. Explain your answers. 4. Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian). Mississippis secession declaration states, Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery the greatest material interest of the world. Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Debate around the removal of memorials and monuments that honor people and ideas whose messages and causes are considered offensive to certain marginalized groups has been a hot-button issue of late in the national conversation. To the best of our knowledge, no resistance is shown in 1895 in the Neapolitan pieza de mrmol; all hecha pedazos must be resisted. Research reveals the long-term impact following the destruction of the Greenwood District, Harvard experts talk about how to turn the moments energy into lasting change, Harvard faculty recommend the writers and subjects that promote context and understanding, Ash Center panel puts defining moment of Floyd killing into context of fight for social justice, Biomolecular archaeology reveals a fuller picture of the nomadic Xiongnu. The campaigns demise was both sad and pathetic. [4], As Karen Cox, PhD, Historian of the American South at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, concludes, The state is giving the stamp of approval to these Lost Cause ideas, and the money is a symbol of that approval. May 16, 2017 0 The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his mount, Traveler, face the setting sun on Monument Ave. in Richmond,. People on both sides vigorously defend their position, pointing out disturbingfacts about the Founding Fathers and the founding of America as reasons why the Confederate monuments arent so different from Revolutionary monuments. Statues elevate a person from a historical event rather than demystify it. The shooter was said to have glorified the Confederate South, posing in Facebook photos with the Battle Flag of the Northern Virginia Army (also known now as the Confederate flag, though it never represented the Confederate States) and touring historical Confederate locations before the shooting. With most American figures, certainly most presidents, you will find many reasons to actually criticize them and criticize their record, even our heroes. There has been much debate over which statues should be taken down, and whether this is an effective way to combat bigotry. The idea is, this is a statue of a civil leader, and they are someone whose virtue or deeds were meant to emulate as citizens. Jeff Kelly Lowenstein, Martin Luther King Jr., Women, and the Possibility of Growth, chicagoreporter.com, Jan. 18, 2019, 48. Those are the real threats to history. They are a reminder of our countrys dark and oppressive history. The victors, the thousands of soldiers black and white in the armed forces of the United States, died to protect this country. And while it is true that many of the Virginian Founding Fathers - Washington, Jefferson, Madison - all owned slaves, we put up their statues not to commemorate their slave holding but for different reasons. Do you agree? In several cities, these tributes have been vandalized or torn down by protestors or removed by public officials. Tomas Strakas Vida Poltica de las Estatuas is a collection of essays. Explain your answer with examples and reasoning. Gary Younge is a professor of sociology at the University of Manchester. Preserving historic statues and place-names can serve a number of positive aims. Download Full Image, When a door of opportunity opened a crack, this ASU marketing grad kicked it open all the way, '1923' actress graduates with honors from ASU, Military service inspires outstanding ASU grad to pursue engineering, Applied Math PhD selected as 2023 Outstanding Graduate Student for The College, Double major a powerhouse of undergrad research, accolades, First-generation grad catapults from struggling student to ASU Deans Medalist, Pulitzer Prize-winning Postcolonial Love Poem., Sun Devil Soccer's late comeback bid comes up short at Oregon State, ASU students solve real-world problems for Department of Defense, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Grant to study health access for Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders hits home for PhD student, Hackathon gathers global students to tackle social, environmental issues, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. They serve as a constant reminder of who we are and what we believe in. Must we allow symbols of racism on public land? The Shepherd monument would not have been returned to the National Park Service if it did not provide interpretive signs and returned it to its rightful owner. Those who argue in favor of keeping political statues in public spaces typically make the following points: 1. Elliot Ackerman, The Confederate Monuments We Shouldnt Tear Down, nytimes.com, July 7, 2020, 49. In the United States, Confederate generals were overthrown or voted out. It is hard to explain on other than political grounds why so many more monuments and places arededicated to John F. Kennedythan to much better presidents. Confederate monuments can find an appropriate home in museums and cemeteries. The monument divided the African American community, exposing various political philosophies on how to deal with white supremacy. Despite being recognized around the world as a hero, Columbus statues have long been criticized as a result of his colonization and genocide of Indigenous cultures. George Gerbner, PhD, and Larry Gross coined the term symbolic annihilation in 1976 to describe the lack of representation of a group of people. So what should be the standard for taking down a statue? GREENE: But what about historical figures with complicated, often racist histories who were also Union generals or former presidents? And then he went on, in fact, to defeat the Confederacy, which was extremely important in the destruction of slavery. Protesters for. The standard traditionally applied is as follows: When deciding whom to commemorate by statues, place names, monuments, holidays, currency, or coins we select individuals who performed. We see this in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol. The state's governor introduced legislation in April 2020 to allow cities to remove statues, paving the way for a US$10 million (7.2 million) plan to transform Richmond Virginia's famous . Gordon-Reed is a professor of history and the Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History at Harvard Law School. Their actions also took a violent turn, as when revolutionaries murdered bishops and priests who refused to sign a loyalty oath. There is no easy answer to this question, as there are pros and cons to both sides. A copy of the Statue of Liberty was damaged in Valencia, so it was removed from the citys streets. During the French Revolution, for example, mobs tore down statues in Catholic Churches. They want to demolish our heritage so they can impose a new oppressive regime in its place. [9] Trump argued the plight to save the statues is a battle to save the Heritage, History, and Greatness of our Country! [34], Citizens of the United States have the right to hold controversial opinions and build statues to honor their beliefs. [31], In Louisville, a statue of Confederate soldier John Breckinridge Castleman was removed. Explore the Southern Poverty Law Centers Whose Heritage: Public Symbols of the Confederacy resource, which promotes the removal of confederate statues. GAZETTE: In recent years, many have called for the removal of monuments honoring Confederate officials and other controversial figures, such as Christopher Columbus, with mixed results. ], ProCon.org, "Historic Statue Removal Top 3 Pros & Cons,", ProCon.org, "Historic Statue Removal Top 3 Pros & Cons. There is a plaque next to the Peace Monument in Atlanta, Georgia, that states, This monument should no longer serve as a memorial for white Brotherhood. Remove Confederate statues from public places based on the pros and cons. His explorations united a world previously divided by hemispheres. No one puts a monument up to Washington or Jefferson to promote slavery. The statues are a painful reminder of past and present institutionalized racism in the United States. [1] [2] [3] [4], The issue rose to prominence again in 2017 after an Aug. 12 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent and deadly. Ellis Cose, Keep Confederate Monuments, but Put Their Horrific History on Center Stage, usatoday, Aug. 21, 2017, 52. Slavery is represented in statues by people who distort history and commemorate individuals who perpetuated it. It depends on who the person is and what the objections are. GORDON-REED: This moment feels different because theres been a great awakening in the country about police-on-citizen violence. If there are statues of black Americans in the future, such as Kehinde Wileys 2019 statue of a black man riding horseback in a pose similar to those of Confederate statues, they could be built. Valerie Strauss, Christopher Columbus: 3 Things You Think He Did That He Didnt, washingtonpost.com, Oct. 14, 2013, 22. Between June 17, 2015 and July 6, 2020, 59 Confederate statues, nine interpretive markers, and plaques were removed from public land in 19 states across the country. Who Frederick Douglass was. I cannot see myself pulling down a statue in that way. We disregard or discount those faults common to the individuals time and place. Source: Abdazizar. Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the demolition of statues of heroes who, from one day to the next, appear to follow the exploits of the Egyptian Pharaohs. Sophia A. Nelson claims in her book that Washingtons Lee University didnt hate black students because it had statues of Robert E. Lee and George Washington. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. The Mdia Exterior de Chvez highlights how the country responds to its problems: through its actions, the country seeks to advance human rights, including the rights of foreigners, as a result of the decreto de 1817. Chvez was once an island with no borders and no land. GREENE: You said something interesting. I was really dismayed to see the statue of Grant, especially, come down because Grant was never comfortable with owning that one slave that was given to him by his father-in-law. In the event that these statues are removed, the country would lose a valuable educational tool about the effects of the Civil War. Politics, national security, and occasional nerdery. Among the items included in a new time capsule that will take its place is a copy of Diazs Pulitzer Prize-winning Postcolonial Love Poem., When my old basketball coach Wendy Larry texted me to tell me the Virginia governor's office was trying to reach me, I had no idea what they might want. The campaign to remove controversial monuments and memorials has attracted a lot of criticism - charges that we are "erasing" history or imposing our own values and perspectives on people . I also think it gives credence to the kind of exclusionary work that they already perform. Police stopped these protesters, but statues are coming down around the U.S., yanked down or removed by local governments. Copyright 2020 NPR. It is not possible to have them live in a single location at the same time. Should we not honor the contributions of Washington, Jefferson, and Grant to the United States because they owned slaves, as did many men of their standing at the time, even though they struggled with the institution? Q: Why is the removal of statues such a fraught topic? Where do we draw a line? There are lots of terrible. ASU News sat down with Lamp, whose current scholarship focuses on the classical influence on U.S. public art, memorials and monuments, and how those sites guide understandings of citizenship and civic participation, to learn more about the issues at play in this ongoing dialogue. George Martin, Why Confederate Monuments Should Be Preserved and Honored, charlotteobserver.com, July 6, 2017, 38. Monuments of people statuary I think come out of a tradition of imitation. Last modified on July 14, 2022. I certainly understand the emotion the passion particularly if government officials have turned a blind eye to previous petitions from the community. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Activism forces a reckoning with what our values are. They are not an accurate representation of our countrys diverse population. Why build a street for losers? Psychologically, its perpetuating a system. Its also important to distinguish statues from records of history, because thats not what theyre about. The Confederates lost the war, the rebellion. GREENE: Historian Manisha Sinha is the author of "The Slave's Cause: A History Of Abolition.". Confederate symbols and flags have been removed from public display in the South since the end of the Civil War. However, they have also been the centre of much heated debates surrounding their significance. [39] [40] [41], However, Washington led the Continental Army to victory over the British, held together the country as the first President over two terms, resisted calls to become King of the country, and, in his will, freed his slaves upon his wifes death. We should be able to discuss these historical figures and discuss what we admire about them and what we don't admire so much. But I think a better idea there would have been to actually remove the statues of the African American man and the Native American man and maybe let Teddy Roosevelt be there to commend him for his support of conservation and his support for the Natural History Museum. [32]. The renewed division between the two civil rights groups followed the war. It was a great energy to be a part of removing that statue and seeding something new in its place; a little piece of respect and love for the land, which is what I consider the poem to be.. A statue of Josphine de Beauharnais, who married Napoleon and became his first wife, was ripped down in Martinique. These figures were not commonly known to be ridden by equestrians. emma.greguska@asu.edu. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ONLY FOR REPUBLICANS. As goes the South, so goes the nation: Tennessees HIV cuts are a warning for marginalized populations, Florida, Oklahoma double down on the death penalty we need nationwide abolition now, Supreme Court to consider overruling Chevron doctrine, Tucker Carlson, on leaked video, derides Fox streaming service, Al Franken blasts Supreme Court: Its illegitimate, Senate rankings: Here are the 5 seats most likely to flip, Human brains show larger-than-life activity at moment of death. They must be removed, according to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). A statue must be erected on land that is yours and have the authority to do so. CBS News, Protesters in England Topple Statue of Slave Trader Edward Colston into Harbor, cbsnews.com, June 7, 2020, 8. No logr derribarla. In the United States, Confederate monuments are erected as public displays to commemorate the Confederate States of America, its soldiers and leaders. The US National Trust for Historic Preservation offers a point of contrast, having stated: 'We should always remember the past, but do not necessarily need to revere it'. Confederate monuments, in particular, hold religious, cultural, economic, and political values. There are statues of people all over the place, and they should be removed. By writing to US national senators and representatives, you can advocate for the position and policies you believe in. There are many other people who could be represented by statues who would better represent the historical progress and diversity of the country. As a result, the monumentos, as well as the ellos located in the various areas of the city, are erigen within the context of the community. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Heres a List., nytimes.com, Aug. 28, 2017, 6. The media should publish their anniversaries and conduct tests based on their significance. Lee was distinguished from his contemporaries by an exemplary career, both in the U.S. and Confederate armies, of competence and honor. Ted Mann, Lincoln Statue With Kneeling Black Man Becomes Target of Protests, wsj.com, June 25, 2020, 14. The shooter was said to have glorified the Confederate South, posing in Facebook photos with the Battle Flag of the Northern Virginia Army (also known now as the Confederate flag, though it never represented the Confederate States) and touring historical Confederate locations before the shooting. He was also an abolitionist, though a hypocritical and pragmatic one who understood the country would not give up slavery so easily. 5. And there was a real concern about assimilating these immigrants into you can call it Americanization, but what it really was was an assimilation into white, Protestant culture. Conocie una fugacidad de las personas y conocie una inscripcin hablada de un poder. Bethunes is the first state-commissioned statue of a Black person to be included in Statuary Hall. [37], Lawrence A. Kuznar, PhD, Professor of Anthropology at Indiana UniversityPurdue University Fort Wayne, states, removing Confederate statues amounts to whitewashing our history, turning our heads away from the inconvenient truths of our past. They should be removed from public spaces because they serve as a reminder of the negative effects of racism and bigotry, as well as a symbol of how far we have come since the colonial era. Parental selection of spouses is anathema today, but in Ciceros society, everybody did it.. The plaques can not only detail the history of slavery and the Civil War, but also the white segregationist history that promoted the building of such statues to promote the revisionist Lost Cause history. In recent years, there has been a growing debate over whether or not political statues should be in public spaces. However, preservationism remains the dominant outlook of the sector. The movement against him is part of a wider drive to get rid of monuments to figures who are now. Sarah Fling, The Formerly Enslaved Household of the Grant Family, whitehousehistory.org, Apr. Interview was edited for clarity and space. Phil Davis, George Washington Monument in Druid Hill Park Spray-Painted with Destroy Racists, Anti-Police Sentiment, baltimoresun.com, June 21, 2020, 11. [52], Next to the Peace Monument in Atlanta, Georgia, a plaque reads, This monument should no longer stand as a memorial to white brotherhood; rather, it should be seen as an artifact representing a shared history in which millions of Americans were denied civil and human rights. [24], Sheffield Hale, JD, President and Chief Executive of the Atlanta History Center, stated of the plaque, I do think it gives [people] a starting point, which is sorely needed right now, in our society, as a way to deal with contentious issues. The statues do not cause racism and could be used to fight racism if put into historical context. His policies were also deadly for thousands of Native Americans. The SPLC reported at least 160 monuments were removed in 2020 after George Floyds death, more than the prior four years combined At last count, about 704 Confederate monuments remained on public land. History will still be taught. The line is subjective, difficult to draw, and easy to reinterpret, leaving no memorial protected. There are pros and cons to removing statues. Caleb Parke, From George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant: Statues, Monuments Vandalized Extend beyond Confederates amid Black Lives Matter Protests, foxnews.com, June 22, 2020, 13. He was not forgotten or disgraced, but he was not a forgotten figure because he was one of Venezuelas most revered rulers. I think what you see with the Lee monument and this new time capsule is a good example of how we can handle that. SINHA: Well, I think it is important not to go from one extreme to the other. ", ProCon.org. In response to a question posed by The Daily Mail, the Queen Mothers statue in Trafalgar Square should be chosen. A statue of Cecil Rhodes being removed from the University of Cape Town campus, South Africa, 2015. The XVI Tumba-estatuas de Guaicaipuro present the main lder of the resistencia indgena a la conquista del Valle de Caracas. Taneys bust was replaced with one of Thurgood Marshall. These battles have a strong historical context, as they were influenced by a very Venezuelan tradition: Bolivarian political historicism. Thus, we honor Columbus by monuments, place names, and a federal holiday. Theres no doubt that with regime change, monuments are removed, place names are changed, portraits are added to postal stamps, and textbook content changes. GORDON-REED: I would say there are other places for that on battlefields and cemeteries. Public Symbols of the Confederacy, splcenter.org, Feb. 1, 2019, 15. The racial subjugation systems he developed as a principal architect are still prevalent in southern Africa. They provide a sense of identity and pride for many people. When a king dies, his or her statue is also taken down, as are those of their ancestors. The removal of monuments erases the memory of those who fought against them in defense of the values they represent. Consider the idea of placing the removed statues in museums with the American Alliance of Museums. There are pros and cons to removing statues. GREENE: Oh, so actually edit the arrangement of the statues. There was the thought that these immigrants needed to be turned into productive workers, and that concern is where a lot of our public spaces come from. This article was published on January 20, 2022, at Britannicas ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source. From a religious/Christian. There have been other videos, of course, but there is something about this image of a prone individual who is not moving and who we know is losing, or has lost, his life after an encounter that started over an alleged counterfeit $20 bill. GORDON-REED: Plaques can work in some situations. The statue was defaced, there was a lot of graffiti that dealt with defunding the police, and there are some incredibly powerful images that were taken during that time, some of which are going into the new time capsule. Robert Draper, Toppling Statues Is a First Step toward Ending Confederate Myths, nationalgeographic.com, July 2, 2020, 24. We do not erect monuments to people who performed extraordinary feats that were unquestionably evil, even if their characters included some virtuous traits. Opponents said, well, if you're going to take down Jefferson Davis, the next day you're going to take down George Washington. Ashlie D. Stevens, As Confederate Monuments Come down, What Should Replace Them?, salon.com, June 17, 2020, 27. I think the problem with that is that the balance of power in communities can be really problematic. [41]. The statues represent the countrys history, no matter how complicated. Beyond building monuments to honor black Americans, monuments could employ and elevate living black artists, such as Kehinde Wiley, whose 2019 Rumors of War statue depicts a black man on horseback in a pose reminiscent of statues of Robert E. Lee. 17, 2020, 42. But so did tens of thousands of others similarly situated. Iconoclasm is not new; its been going on for thousands of years in different circumstances, Lamp said. Despite Nicole Douglas' team-leading 14th goal of the season, the Sun Devil soccer team was unable to claim its first Pac-12 victory of the season after falling to the Oregon State Beavers, 2-1 on Thursday night. When it was founded, there was a lot of discussion about how it was important to have representations of leaders of civic virtue in the space where our current leaders are, so they have an example to strive for. The Confederate statues have no redeeming qualities to them, but other statues certainly do. The monuments go up because, without Washington, there likely would not have been an American nation. Theres one school of thought that says communities should be the ones to decide. Photo courtesy of Getty Images/iStockphoto, (480) 965-9657 According to media reports, at least 11 statues were severely damaged or destroyed during the true civil rebellion in 2017. The video of the officer with his knee on George Floyds neck was so extreme. There are a variety of reasons why Confederate monuments should be removed from public spaces. Jackson was a slave owner. And the vast majority of these statues were erected during the height of the Jim Crow movement, as historian Kevin M. Kruse has shown. It has also been suggested that statues shouldn't be removed but new plaques could be added which explain why the person is controversial, for example reflecting both the good and bad things. Monuments to men who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end are a grotesque affront to these ideals. Adam Serwer, The Myth of the Kindly General Lee, theatlantic.com, June 4, 2017, 19. Q: Are there any monuments that, even though they send a message most agree is now outdated or harmful, should still be kept as a kind of reminder of what not to do, or what we have overcome? This is the first statue of a black person to be installed in Statuary Hall, and it was commissioned by the state. Should Confederate Monuments Be Removed. Who Jefferson Davis was.
Kamikaze Language Techniques,
Eastland County Most Wanted,
University Of Wisconsin Webcams,
Body Found At St Patrick Of Heatherdowns,
Russian Junior Nationals Figure Skating 2022,
Articles S
