As the years go on and on, the United States is becoming more and more progressive and generally more accepting of new ideas.
However, there are some things that groups of people just can't get over. There are some parts of our history that have heavily divided people in recent years. One of these parts that have grabbed my attention is the ongoing debate over the removal of statues and monuments that celebrate Confederate generals and figureheads.
You would think that in a world where we have achieved so much as a country and have progressed so much as a people, that an issue like this would be easy to solve. However, there are still people around the country that seem to romanticize the former Confederacy and the people that fought for it. This cultural split in people has been manifested in dozens of protest across the South and stands as a reminder of ever turbulent discussion of race relations in the United States.
So, let this article stand as an open letter to those who seem to "sympathize" with the Confederate past, and hopefully, it may convince some people to be on the right side of history.
First off, no one is trying to "rewrite history."
It seems that every person that is against the removal of Confederate statues shares the same reason for why these statues should stay up and public. This core reason is that no one should have the power to "rewrite history." These believers somehow equate the possible removal of these statues to liberals' attempts to completely wipe out the Confederacy from our history books.
First off, just removing statues of people from public areas is most certainly not going to erase a whole chunk of our history. It's not like anyone on either side of the argument is denying that the Confederacy ever existed. It's important as a people that we not only remember our history but also learn from it. Although the Confederacy was a dark part of our past as a country, it is necessary for all of us to know and learn from the mistakes of our past. But these lessons should be seen and learned in more objective and academic settings, such as museums, rather than out in public as towering statues.
Second, it's about time to stop romanticizing the Confederacy.
Another major flaw of those who defend the statues is that they all seem to have a very romantic memory of the Confederacy. Many who come to the defense of it share this idea that the Confederacy was simply a sect of the country that fought righteously for their rights. However, to anyone else who knows their history, the Confederacy was a group of rebels that not only fought against America but also fought for their ability to own slaves. Any objective and knowledgeable person would make the conclusion that the Confederacy was far from being righteous or virtuous.
With that being said, it's about time that we stop praising the Confederacy as something it most certainly was not. This change starts with the removal of Confederate statues. Monumental statues have always been a way of praising and memorialize figures in history. We shouldn't be commemorating those people who not only broke away from the Union but started a whole war just to keep their ability to own other human beings. In order for us to truly come to a breakthrough in our societal progression, we need to not hold parts of our history on pedestals that they do not belong on.
To wrap this article up, I sincerely hope that this ongoing debate soon reaches a compromise that satisfies all Americans in the end and that we all learn from our very grey past in order to make a better future.
