A few days after the white nationalist rally held in support of a Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s statue in Charlottesville turned violent, a group of demonstrators toppled the figure of a Confederate soldier outside a courthouse in Durham, North Carolina. I do not condone vandalism. But I find many Confederate monuments romanticize the Confederate cause by leaving out unpleasant facts about the Civil War. In downtown Augusta, Georgia, for instance, the Augusta Confederate Monument stands over 70-feet tall. Part of the inscription on its base reads as follows:
For the Honor of Georgia.
For the Rights of the States.
For the Liberties of the South.
For the Principles of the Union.
as these were handed down to
them by the Fathers of
Our Common Country.
In Memoriam
“No nation rose so white
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None fell so pure of crime.”
Our Confederate Dead
Slavery was among the “rights” that the Confederate States of America fought to preserve. There is evidence that supports this claim. For example, several Southern states issued a Declaration of Secession that explained why they withdrew from the United States before the Civil War. Each declaration expressed support for the institution of slavery. Given that, it is dishonest to suggest that the Confederacy was a fair nation that rose “so pure of crime.” Monuments like the Augusta Confederate Monument lack context, which probably explains why white nationalist groups seem to value them. So what should cities like Augusta and Charlottesville do with their Confederate monuments? One possible option is to install plaques in front of Confederate statues that put them in context.
During a recent press conference, President Trump pointed out that many historical figures enslaved blacks. He also suggested removing monuments that have links to slavery is a slippery slope: “I wonder, is it George Washington next week and Thomas Jefferson the week after?” President Trump’s comment implies that removing monuments of people associated with slavery may be a seemingly endless campaign, which illustrates how interwoven the institution of slavery is with American history. Slavery in America existed for roughly 240 years (1619-1865). Many argue that removing Confederate memorials is an attempt to erase history. If that point is valid, then one could certainly say that the absence of monuments acknowledging many African Americans’ experiences and contributions ignores history altogether.
Nat Turner was an enslaved African American who led a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831. Why shouldn’t statues exist that recognize his role in history, particularly in Virginia, given that the first enslaved Africans were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown? According to a report by The Atlantic, The Whitney Plantation near Wallace, Louisiana, is the first and only U.S. museum and memorial to slavery. Why aren’t there more? The Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization, plans to build a national memorial to victims of lynching in Montgomery, Alabama, expanding and clarifying the public’s understanding of American history. It is expected to open in 2018. I see no reason for those that are solely concerned about preserving history to oppose adding plaques to Confederate monuments, relocating some of them, and erecting monuments that offer a fact-based, comprehensive account of America’s past.
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