The myth of Lee goes something like this: He was a brilliant strategist and devoted Christian man who abhorred slavery and labored tirelessly after the war to bring the country back together.
In the Richmond Times Dispatch, R. David Cox wrote that “For white supremacist protesters to invoke his name violates Lee’s most fundamental convictions.” In the conservative publication Townhall, Jack Kerwick concluded that Lee was “among the finest human beings that has ever walked the Earth.” John Daniel Davidson, in an essay for The Federalist, opposed the removal of the Lee statute in part on the grounds that Lee “arguably did more than anyone to unite the country after the war and bind up its wounds.” Praise for Lee of this sort has flowed forth from past historians and presidents alike.
This is too divorced from Lee’s actual life to even be classed as fan fiction; it is simply historical illiteracy.
White supremacy does not “violate” Lee’s “most fundamental convictions.” White supremacy was one of Lee’s most fundamental convictions.
My opinion:
Take down the statues.
Then, place them in a museum where the proper context of the statues can be studied and learned.
That way, they are not standing up as the propaganda devices that they once were (some statues were erected waaaay after the Civil War, in the Jim Crow era, in the 50's or so, before the Civil Rights Act), but rather can be appreciated in a proper context.
And racism was worse than hatred, I tell you this, because hatred is widely understood as foolish, emotional, irrational, while racism is presented as rational. The KKK are seen as hateful. They are not; The KKK never "hated" black people, if you study their history. they merely saw them as animals, to be harassed, raped or killed at will, for their own amusement. This behavior was rational to them. And what is rational is normalized.
My opinion:
Take down the statues.
Then, place them in a museum where the proper context of the statues can be studied and learned.
That way, they are not standing up as the propaganda devices that they once were (some statues were erected waaaay after the Civil War, in the Jim Crow era, in the 50's or so, before the Civil Rights Act), but rather can be appreciated in a proper context.
Our new government is founded upon exactly [this] idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery -- subordination to the superior race -- is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.
Cavalry Ratty?
Cavalratty?
Cavalratty.
>the south is gonna rise again
please no
i live here and my family tree's full of appalachian rednecks and i must admit a part of me does love some of that twangy bluegrass goodness but please no
Well, it's not as bad as Johnny Rebel. :P
This kind of replacement of confederate statues and such needs to come about organically. It cannot be this mandate imposed on the states from up on high, or it becomes exactly the kind of "aggression" that the south always claims. people are becoming exactly the kind of boogeyman that conservative southerners especially- always complain about, but what's worse is it's done without a hint of irony or self awareness.
It's not about burying history. It's about choosing what parts of history we celebrate.
This man fought against the United States to protect slavery. We don't put statues of generals from opposing armies on our public grounds and certainly not those who propagate slavery and racism. These statues belong in museums, not on pedestals in public spaces.
To suggest that taking the statues off public grounds "erases" the history is insane. The civil war is incredibly well documented and we won't be forgetting who the losers of that war were and what they stood for any time soon.
And the way this happened, with the people having enough of this racist tolerance bullshit standing up and doing something about it.. That's how things happen organically.
They belong in a museum, not as part of our celebrated history. Take them down and replace them with memorials to commemorate those who suffered under slavery.