After the violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12; several cities have stepped up to remove confederate monuments across the US. Ever since that day, there has been a lot of discussion on what confederate symbols represent and whether they should be removed. I believe that confederate symbols deserve no place in public spaces and should be removed. To begin with, let us revise what the Civil War was about. It was about the southern state’s rights, which they felt where being encroached by the northern united states. Specifically, their rights to own slaves. End discussion. After the Civil War, things where supposed to return to normal in what was known as the Reconstruction Era. The newly emancipated slaves were …show more content…
So, the slave owners were now back in power with an official pardon from the president himself, allowing them to do as they wished. The south became the same as it had been before the war. Black Codes and Jim Crow laws were created as loopholes these pardoned men created in order to keep the black population under their control by means of fraud and intimidation. During this time, confederate monuments began to spring up in schools, courthouses and parks, in order to serve as reminders to the emancipated slaves who was controlling their states. Thus, these statues where created as a means of oppression against the black population, and would continue to be built under similar circumstances for years to come such as the civil rights movement, the voting rights act and more. States, like Arizona, were never even a part of the civil war, began erecting monuments during the 60s as …show more content…
As New York Govender Andrew Cuomo said regarding the removal of Rebert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson busts said: “New York stands against racism. There are many great Americans, many of them New Yorkers worthy of a spot on this great hall, these two confederates are not among them.” If they are not openly rejected, these hate groups will continue to increase their violence because if you are in the neutral, then you are supporting these fascists by essentially saying you cannot differentiate between a group of people who want to be respected and to live without fear of oppression, and a group whose members have actively stated several times that they want to see these people dead. It should not be a difficult decision. In conclusion, I have stated he facts behind the monuments and the flag and continue to believe these symbols of hatred have no place in our modern-day society. We are an embarrassing nation filled with hatred and racists in positions of power. We may never get better from here on out, but at least some of these monuments to oppression will continue to be taken down; whether it by their local government or by the hand weary citizens who want to make a change in this rapidly hellhole of a
In Atlanta Ga, Charlottesville Nc, and in every other formerly Confederate State in the U.S. there has been controversial debates on whether or not the current standing Confederate statues should be removed from public areas. Many people claim that a modern society should not honor the racist soldiers who fought for slavery. Others believe that preserving historical accuracy is essential to learning from the mistakes of the past. The opinions of thousands of citizens clash with one another over the debate between offense and information. I believe that it is most beneficial for the majority of people if the current Confederate monuments remain where they are.
Revising History The removal of Confederate monuments is a controversial topic in today’s society. Some people view the monuments as a remembrance of American history and honoring the heroic acts performed by the individuals on the battlefield. Other, however, view them as memorials and symbols of hate that were meant to worship or glorify slavery, and want to see them all come down.
Why a push to remove Confederate monuments create violence, protests, and controversy. Removing monuments can be difficult because people will agree or disagree, because to some people its showing appreciation, and to other its showing lack of respect. A white supremacist drove his car into the counter- protesters killing one and injuring 19 others. Despite the chaos the city still plans to remove the Lee statue thought opponents have filled a lawsuit to stop the removal.
The symbols that people want to take down shows who had the power and what they have done and why it is so important. An example would be that Robert E Lee was a general that had made a large impact on all of us. That 's why we should keep them then tear them down, That way we can learn about what that person has done. A reason why people want to take them down would be because they feel offended about that statue.
The flag has been used in many occasions for the wrong reasons, and it affects how people think of the flag. Although it seems to be a racist symbol, it is a symbol of southern heritage, ancestry, and it hold the memory of all of the fallen Confederate soldiers. Confederate monuments mark history, it would illogical to remove them. It would be taking away a valuable part of our community. Over all, the flag is a symbol of heritage not
A lot of people may not advocate the removal of the confederate monuments, but the problem is, they aren't opposed to it either. To people, the confederate soldier statues and monuments represent people protecting slavery. But confederate soldier statues and monuments represent individuals, soldiers fighting for
Civil War Monuments The Confederate monuments from the Civil War in many cities, colleges, and universities are being asked to be taken down. The monuments are causing problems between the U.S. citizens. Many people are protesting and saying that the monuments are a symbol of racism, and symbolism of traitors to the U.S., and are used to show white supremacy. These monuments should be taken down from the public but they should not be destroyed.
After the Civil War was over and the Union had won the war, four million enslaved workers had gained their freedom (p511). The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, also known as the Reconstruction amendments, were passed to abolish slavery, give citizenship to all persons born in the United States, equal protection of the laws and suffrage to all men. The nation succeeded in restoring the South after having lost many lives and property (p512). After the war, former slaves were able to establish their own African American churches and schools, where they learned to read and write. Immediately after President Hayes withdrew federal troops from Louisiana and South Carolina, Republican governments collapsed and Radical Republican legislation
To begin with, Confederate statues, flags, and monuments has been the history of our country so the people and the future generation can see what America have dealt with to be where we are at. In the United States, the statues and monuments are representation of historic mark as they are important part of the US history. The monuments are very significant as it symbolizes history and some of those monuments are being removed. For example, a monument of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney was removed in Maryland. One man stated that, "It has become increasingly clear in recent weeks that memorials such as this are hurtful to many residents in our community and elsewhere” (County “Here are the Confederate memorials that will be removed after Charlottesville”).
When a flag is presented in a rival that brings hate and discontent to America it should be removed from being displayed. I strongly am offended of the Confederate flag and my opinion is a lot of others are also offended. The constant reminder of the mistreatment and enslavement of the black race is still being suffered by black people today. The confederate flag brings grief to my heart as my ancestors were subjected to slavery.
Should Cities Be Allowed To Take Down Confederate Statues? What do you think about Confederate Statues? Should cities and governments be allowed to take these statues down? The city of New Orleans had this problem.
In the news today, a continual debate can be found about the significance of Confederate monuments and if they should remain or be removed. Confederate monuments that have been erected throughout the U.S. should be kept because of the preservation of America’s history. For instance, in the article, The Unbearable Lightness of Confederate-Statue Removal, the author lists how slaveholder monuments aren’t the only statues being vandalized, but the Lincoln Memorial and Mount Rushmore are other symbols of U.S. history that some believe need to “blow up” (Murdock). Every historical symbol can have both people who appreciate it and who oppose it. That doesn’t mean that we should tear down all symbols, but
Post Civil War, African Americans started to gain rights to gain rights, and soon gain rights equal to whites. While there were some people/things standing in their way (KKK, Black Codes), in the end they got what they needed; Equality. Many acts and laws were passed to aid the new rights now held by African Americans, as well as the numerous people willing to help. New Amendments were added to give African Americans rights after the war, all giving them some equal rights to whites. The first of the three added was the Thirteenth Amendment, it gave African Americans freedom from slave owners, and stated that no one could be kept as a slave in the U.S..
Another reason why we should not ban hate symbols is that it makes it easier to rewrite our history, saying this never happened and oh we never did that. In “PRO/CON: should cities remove Confederate monuments?” it states “History, unfortunately, has seen great nations become lost, isolated and ultimately extinct by refusing to confront the sins of the past and evolve to meet the demands of a changing world.” (p.2) In this quote, it is saying if we keep taking down memorials and parts of our history we will have nothing left except the thing you want us to remember.
Should monuments be removed? For many years people have been arguing whether certain controversial monuments, such as statues, should be destroyed or removed. A common type of monuments in this situation are the Confederacy monuments. These are various statues across the US which honor Confederate leaders or “heroes”. Many see these offensive since those people basically oppressed African Americans for years and were fighting to keep doing so.