In the present day, the preservation of Confederate statues provokes multiple discussions. According to the official political agenda supported by former President Donald Trump, these monuments are the historical symbols of the United States that should be protected. However, more and more evidence supports the public opinion that Confederate statues should be removed as they aim to demonstrate racial disparities and the supremacy of Whites. The main argument of this claim is supported by the fact that the majority of monuments were erected not directly after the Civil War but in the 1900-the 1920s (Best, 2020). During this period, several discriminatory laws against Black people’s social rights were enacted.
The construction of Confederate monuments was sponsored by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. In the present day, it was regarded as a part of the union’s long-lasting strategy that aimed to strengthen White supremacy and social inequities based on race. The connection of statues with structured racism is obvious as the second wave of Confederate monuments’ erection was in the 1920-1940s, along with “Black Americans’ fighting for civil rights and pushing back against widespread lynchings in the South” (Best, 2020, para. 4). Thus, Confederate monuments placed across Southern states, especially on courthouse grounds, aimed to demonstrate the protection of Whites by the law. The undeniable racial context of monuments’ construction has finally led to their removal or relocation during the last several years in response to discrimination against Black citizens.
From a personal perspective, it is impossible to deny that Confederate statues were directly connected with efforts to strengthen White supremacy. That is why a considerable number of them may be removed – however, not all. In general, human history includes both positive and negative events. Although a considerable number of people prefer to destroy all attributes of tragic times, they should be remembered as well. In other words, mistakes of the past should be remembered for their avoidance in the future.
Reference
Best, R. (2020). Confederate statues were never really about preserving history. FiveThirtyEight. Web.