confederate monuments
From a historical context, confederate monuments, such as the flag and the statues, were adopted in 1861. They were first used as a memorial to the confederate soldier and served as a symbol of the country’s pride in the battlefield. The confederate flag promoted tradition, liberty, and religion. Between the 1890s and 1950s, the state government built confederate monuments which matched the ruling of Jim Crow segregation. For instance, in Ft. Mill, South Carolina, Jefferson Davis Memorial Association dedicated the Defenders of State Sovereignty Association monument. Local and state governments used some monuments to intimidate African Americans. Additionally, they are symbols of hate, racism, and treason. They show white supremacy, slavery, discrimination, and segregation against black Americans. Therefore, it is not appropriate for cities or states to publicly display monuments as it will cause unrest and lack of peace in the states.
The confederate flag and other monuments represent white supremacy that caused slavery, racism, and segregation. They are the most overlooked tools of modern racism. The different race has different beliefs; therefore, they tend to hold one side that causes conflict with other races. The white Americans in the south enslaved the African Americas. Thus, the flag reminds them of the history, pain, and racism of the past[1]. New Orleans had one of the statues that showed white supremacy celebration in the city against a racially abused state militia and police force. Moreover, the confederate monuments cover up the real history of America. Furthermore, the confederate monuments showed white supremacy, and the South Americans fought the Civil War to preserve its labor. In 1861, Vice President Alexander H. Stephens declared that the government was founded upon the great truth that Negro was not equal to the white man; therefore, slavery was the main thing that they fought the Civil War. Ku Klux Klan used the confederate flag as a campaign of terror against black Americans. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Other Americans believed that the public displaying of the confederate flag is offensive. They thought that the flag represents hate and oppression. Those who fought to preserve slavery among the millions of African-Americans flown the same flag. Until the 1950s, the flag was rarely flown from the end of the civil war. Thus, the whites were not satisfied and happy when the civil war ended. They opposed freedom so that they can continue ruling and enslaving black Americans. After the end of the Civil War, some southern state governments and Americans started to fly the flag in protest against the civil rights to end segregation[2]. Thus, they used flags to display racism and hate against black Americans. After the horrific church shooting, the confederate flag in public property facilitated civil rights movements to resist such inhumane activities. By public displaying flag reminds African Americans the pain they experienced, and they did not consider flag as a symbol of unity.
Confederate monuments create a negative environment. Black Americans view public monuments as a reminder of the white oppressive regime. Moreover, when Africans American see these monuments creates doubt of whether they are guaranteed equal protection of the laws. Indeed, they can evoke violence and anger. In Charlottesville, Virginia, there was more violence due to confederate monuments. The incident caused nineteen injuries, and three people died. Hence not publicly displaying statues would not cause such violence. Many state and national governments had objected to the public display of monuments because they are a reminder of hatred and slavery support[3]. Therefore, they may continuously protect their removal. Thus, it can cause unrest and a lack of peace in the states. The monuments remind them of the torture they had undergone and sought revenge against the white Americans. The statues represent selective and misleading moments of the past through streets, parks, and solid material that marginalized African American communities while sharing ideas of racial power across generations. Furthermore, confederate monuments influence decision making; they create and depend on a one-sided view of the mythical and moral decisions. Therefore, whenever people see the public monuments, they have negative thoughts and have fear due to the consequences it caused to the minority.
Public displaying of confederate monuments create a massive burden to the Americans, specifically Africans Americans. The governments force citizens to pay taxes for the preservation and maintenance of the public statues. Furthermore, they signify symbols of white supremacy and desire to consider the past. Moreover, students such as Kayla Wilson, a black American student who is an alumnus of Robert E. Lee High school in San Antonio, are forced to remember the dark regime history, where enslavement ruled the country. Therefore, it will require more funds to maintain public monuments.
The monuments belong to the museum
The monuments belong to the museum. People remember the dark history when they see these monuments every day. Moreover, it is essential to forget the past. Statues in the museum represent in their historical contexts. Whereas, the government publicly display the monuments to show how those people fought for their country, which is contrary to the people, especially African American. They viewed them as monuments not worth of admiration and someone who are not notable.
Furthermore, the statute signifies that they fought against their nation to promote slavery. Robert E. Lee facilitated white supremacy and was willing to die for him to own other human beings. Also, he argued slavery to black provided a painful discipline. Therefore, to consider monuments as a teaching tool, they should be displayed in the museum where the viewers learn about white supremacy and evils of slavery. Public display portrays negative information, monuments they do not represent individual rights for those who fought. For instance, the government did not recognize swastikas and statue of Adolf Hitler monuments across Germany; hence Jews were forced to live under symbols that represented hatred. Instead, since the fall of Nazi Germany, the camps were preserved, and anti-Semitic objects were kept in museums to be studied and not celebrated.
Additionally, because monuments are part of history, it does not mean it needs to be respected. The statue placed in Forest Park was is not intended to be part of country history.
Hence, the museum is the best place to preserve the monuments as the viewers would study and learn from them.
The national monuments portray immoral behaviors in the new generation. The parents find it challenging to explain to their kids who the leaders in the statues used to be. For instance, describing the case of Robert to a white kid will promote racism, and African American kids will facilitate hate. Hence, this will develop hatred and bigotry between white kids and black American kids. Robert Lee was confident that the monument would serve as a reminder of the painful segregation and division that continued after the end of the war and would serve as an obstacle to recovery. Hence, that instincts would pass across the generations, and racism would persist, leading to white supremacy. The students will learn how monuments maintained and established a system of Jim Crow segregation by identifying and enforcing the state’s boundaries through the battlefields.
Additionally, the public monuments will facilitate immoral for the future generation.
Conclusion
Whereas monuments acted as a symbol of hatred, racism, and discrimination against non-white American, public displays of those monuments would create further racism and hatred. Public display of monuments acts as a reminder of the torture and slavery that the minority faced during the earlier regime. Therefore, they are unable to forget and forgive the white Americans. They are full of anger, and they can engage in violence to try to revenge for the previous enslavement and torture. In addition, the public monuments instill bad morals through the generations. In a school with both white Americans and African Americans, the history lesson may not be attractive as through the monuments, and they can create a difference that would cause violence. The citizen is burdened with taxes to maintain the confederate monuments. Additionally, monuments should be kept in a museum where the viewers can learn through them.
[1] Gunter, Booth, Jamie Kizzire, and Cindy Kent. “Whose Heritage?: Public Symbols of the Confederacy.” (2016).
[2] Kermit, Franklin. “Removing Confederate Monument.” The ethical debate (n.d.).
[3] Taylor-Hasty, Katherine. “(Re) Interpreting the Confederacy: Interpretive Options for Preservation.” PhD diss., Columbia University, 2018.