The Preservation Of Our American History

 The Preservation Of Our American History

Confederate Statue, Economist

    Our confederate monuments are one example of how symbols are integrated into American culture. These statues commemorate a person or event and serve to display influential moments or people in American History. In America, there has been an ongoing debate over whether or not our country should remove confederate monuments because some people find them offensive. Although, if we take down these confederate monuments, we are putting our understanding of American history in danger. 

    One might argue that confederate monuments are offensive and unnecessary. But, by taking these monuments down, we are erasing parts of our American History and, therefore, putting both our and future generations’ understanding and awareness of significant historical events at risk. The debate to remove confederate statues and monuments in America became especially acrimonious following the tragic killing of George Floyd in 2020 after police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for over eight minutes. George Floyd’s death led to widespread protests over removing confederate statues and the vandalism of many monuments. Ultimately, this led to the removal of over 200 confederate statues and memorials. Although for some people this may seem like something to celebrate, a quote by George Bush from the opening of the NMAAHC explains why the removal of these statues is a poor decision. 

“A great nation does not hide its history, it faces its flaws and corrects them.”—President George W. Bush, Opening of the NMAAHC, September 24, 2016
 

    There are many reasons that Confederate monuments are important and why they should not be removed. The first reason is that monuments serve to to educate the public. Confederate monuments have the power to tell us so much about our own American history, and events in history that have built the present-day nation that we have the privilege of living in. This means they have the power to teach not only the positive aspects of our American past, but also the negative aspects of our past. In a Washington Post article titled "I Detest Our Confederate Monuments. But They Should Remain," Lawrence A. Kuznar writes, "When racists revere these monuments, those of us who oppose racism should double our efforts to use these monuments as tools for education. Auschwitz and Dachau stand as mute testimonials to a past that Europeans would never want to forget or repeat. Why not our Confederate monuments?" It is no secret that many if not all confederate statues and memorials display white, slave-owning leaders of the confederacy. What these leaders did was unacceptable, but that is simply another reason we should keep their statues standing. Our monuments should be preserved to ensure that we learn from the mistakes our predecessors made and grow as a nation. In an NBC article titled “Opinion: Don't Take Down Confederate Monuments. Here's Why,” Sophia A. Nelson, award winning author and former Congress and U.S Chamber of Commerce worker writes,

    “Remembering is powerful. Remembering, forces us to become wiser. We think of the words Never Forget and we instantly remember 9-11 or the Holocaust. We connect because we remember. We look. We learn. We discover. And hopefully, with a little faith, self-discovery, and humility we grow into better, more loving human beings.”

    In recent years, The National Assessment of Educational Progress, or the NAEP test results have shown that "Only 15% of 8th-graders scored proficient or above in U.S. history along with about a quarter in civics and geography. In reading and math, by contrast, about 35% of 4th- and 8th-graders clear that bar." Through the removal of these monuments, we are not only erasing the history of the confederacy, but also the history of those who fought to create a nation built on liberty and freedom. Caroline E. Janey, professor at the University of Virginia and author of “Remembering the Civil War: Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation,” argues this in her article titled, “Why we Need Confederate Monuments.” 

    Some individuals may argue that the removal of these statues would help in healing our nation and ridding it of racism and inequality. Although, why are we focusing on the removal of the statues of 19th century Confederate leaders when we should be focusing more on modern day conflicts surrounding inequality? In Ari Helo’s peer reviewed journal article titled “Bidding Farewell to Confederate Statues: Landscape, Politics, and American History”, he argues that Americans should focus more on modern day social problems, instead of focusing on the removal of statues of dead Confederate leaders. 

   

   Another reason we should not allow for the removal of these confederate statues is because removal is typically done forcefully and violently. Not only are the monuments treated with disrespect, but many protestors have attempted taking them down in extremely dangerous ways, resulting in injury. One example of this was caught on tape in 2020. Viewers of the video can witness the moment a protestor was crushed underneath a confederate statue in Portsmouth, Virginia, when it fell on top of him. Surrounding protestors had been attempting to pull the statue off of its stand using a rope. They succeeded. Unfortunately, the man that had been standing underneath the statue was seriously injured.

    Confederate monuments educate us about the past and tell us how to build our future. What is important is not that we idolize leaders of the Confederacy, but that we understand their historical significance and learn from their immoral actions. If we remove these statues, we are not only erasing the past, but we are removing the proof of how far we have come as a nation that is, now, truly built upon a foundation of liberty and justice for all.