A comment misconception is that Confederate statues and memorials were erected right after the end of the Civil War to honor the fallen soldiers, and while some such statues do exist, the South was too ravaged by the effects of the war to put money forth for so many statues. The truth is that a vast majority of these statues and memorials were actually built during two distinctive time periods. The first was in the early 1900’s, and the second was during the 50’s and 60’s. So what is the connection between the two, and why build statues commemorating Generals that not only lost a war, but lost a war that ended some 60- 100 years before they were built? The dark truth behind these periods was the early 1900’s was during the rise of Jim Crow, …show more content…
The statues also served another purpose of deigning “Black memory” (Johnson. 1994) For all the Civil War statues that exist, only three actually depict black. The lack of statues serves a way of refusing African- American the victory that they gained with the way, and the right to mourn the hardships that they faced before and after the war. (Johnson. 1994) They were placed in position of honor and prominence, such in front of court houses and other government building as further declaration as to who was in charge and who most certainly wasn’t. The One example of this is a stature of Robert E. Lee in Baltimore. Robert E. Lee is well known Confederate general but died of illness 5 years after the war was over. (ABT, 2017) Not only that, but that statue was erected in 1948, a few short years after the end of World War ll. So why build a statue commemorating a failed general, who didn’t even die in the war, 83 years after the end of the war. It was meant to be an act of reassurance to the white citizens, that despise the recent rise in back power, they were the ones that were still in
There are many different ways in which the war was represented to the public, including drawings, newspaper articles, and detailed stereographs. Stereographs such as John Reekie’s “The Burial Party” invoked mixed feelings from all of those who viewed it. It confronts the deaths caused by the Civil War as well as touches upon the controversial issue over what would happen to the slaves once they had been emancipated. This picture represents the Civil War as a trade-off of lives- fallen soldiers gave their lives so that enslaved black men and women could be given back their own, even if that life wasn’t that different from slavery. In his carefully constructed stereograph “The Burial Party,” John Reekie confronts the uncertainty behind the newly
Ambiguity Over the Confederate Flag by Frank X Walker tells the story of life in the South during slavery. The narrator, speaks in first person for one part of the poem, while the other half is spoken from an omniescent on-looker. Through both of these perspectives readers are given two separate accounts of what slavery was like during that time. By using the principles of New Criticism readers are able to fully understand the context of the poem. Furthermore, through this technique, readers draw conclusions in response to the text. From this analysis and through close reading it is clear that there is a major tension regarding how whites viewed slavery verses how African American’s viewed slavery.
During winter months, basic huts were constructed from wood when it was available. During the civil war, most of the soldiers fought only 75 percent of the time. When they were not fighting, their day usually started at 5:00 in the morning during the summer and spring, and 6:00 in the morning during the fall and winter. Soldiers would be awakened by fifes and drums, then the first sergeant would take a roll call, and all the men sat down to eat breakfast. During the day, soldiers would be engaged in sometimes as many as five 2-hour long drill sessions on weaponry or maneuvers.
...ortune. There are endless statues, celebrations, books and archival accumulations. The war came at a tremendous cost but the benefits will be everlasting. We lost a considerable amount of daring individuals that day battling for equality. Those individuals that fought in the Civil War will never be forgotten and they will forever be appreciated. There are so many ways that African Americans benefitted from their brave acts. They opened up the door for many African Americans to speak out and step up. Without those courageous African American soldiers risking their lives for freedom, who knows whether the Union could had still won ensuring rights to the liberated slaves. Without their braveness the United States would be in a totally different place than were in today. The Slaves and those who fought in the Civil War will always be appreciated and congratulated.
The Confederate flag is a famous symbol of the South’s side in the American Civil War. The controversy surrounding this flag has received a great bit of media attention considering how deeply affected and offended some people have become. Southerners consider themselves to be personally affected. A majority of supporters state that banning the Confederate flag strips them of their heritage, referring to the South’s part in the American Civil War. Persons who do not support the continued showing of the Confederate flag, such as non-Southerners, African Americans, and many others say that while the flag is a symbol of southern history, much of the history in the South includes racial segregations, lynchings, and slavery. As a matter of fact, the purpose of the Confederacy in the Civil War was to make sure slavery stayed an institution in America. The man who created the Confederate flag, William T. Thompson, stated this about the symbol of heritage: “As a people we are fighting to maintain the heavenly ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race; a white flag would thus be emblematical of our cause” (Miessler par. 3). This alone clearly shows what the goal of the Confederacy
“The Confederate Flag: Controversy and Culture.” David Sarratt American Studies University of Virginia. Web. 22 Feb. 2014
His family connection to the Civil War gave him a sense of pride. Modern Americans should remember and memorialize the Civil War by knowing that the event determined what kind of nation the United States would be. The Civil War is the most significant conflict in American history; it had a revolutionary, social, and political impact that continues to be felt today. We were taught the civil war was primarily fought because of slavery but in truth “there were many causes of the civil war, including differences between northern and southern states on the idea of slavery, as well as trade, tariffs, and states rights.”
At the head of this revival was the memory of Stonewall Jackson, closely followed by Robert E. Lee (who would rise to the prominent position following his death in 1870). Other generals of the Confederacy who had died during the war followed, as did those who would pass on later.
Taking the statues down is like ignoring standing up for what you believe in and death by war. A quote from “Monumental Battle” states, “‘But many of those who support keeping the monument say their motive are about honor not race.’” This quote shows that not all who support the statues agree with slavery. Some don’t want them to come down because it’s honoring all who fought for what they believe. Others might argue that even though those people lost their lives for what they believe in, slaves lost their lives from working to hard or starvation. I would argue against that by saying, in school students are taught to stand up for what they believe in, if we take the statues down that’s saying don’t stand up for what you believe in; if you do, nothing comes from it. In other words, if we are able to take down statues of people who stand up for what they believe in, then that’s like taking down a statue of Lincoln, He stood up for what he believed in, no slavery; just like, for example, General Robert E. Lee, stood for
The Civil War was partly about slavery. Therefore, many use the flag as a symbol of hatred towards people of different descent, especially African Americans. The idea that “negro is not equal to the white man,” or white supremacy, has caused many racist attacks (Coates, 2015). Most of these attacks have involved the presence of a Confederate flag. Recently, Dylann Roof committed a gruesome attack on nine African American congregants at their local church during a bible study (Henderson, 2015). He claimed to have been motivated by the Confederate flag. Sadly, this violent attack provides a perfect example of the racism symbolically presented by the Confederate flag.
Washington, DC is a spectacular place. This being my first time in DC, I was in awe of everything and all the historical places I encountered. The presence of the monuments and history is what made the capitol so magnificent. Having only read about the Lincoln memorial, I never had the chance to experience the sensation of being inside such an honorable place of importance. The imposing white marble walls of the memorial and the many people surrounding it could be seen from afar. Arriving at the location, an unknown feeling came over me. I was experiencing history in a whole different level. When I think about a memorial, the term remembrance comes to mind. Seeing the statue of Abraham Lincoln brought pieces of memories from history class and evoked thoughts of what it might have felt like to be in his shoes. I was astonished by the statue’s enormousness and how grand Abraham Lincoln looked in his chair. The size of the statue compared to pictures from books and elsewhere was surreal. Abraham Lincoln was a very “powerful and prominent individual” in the history of our nation, the statue’s design and size reflected upon that. Looking around me, I wanted to know what the others thoughts were on seeing his statue and how they felt in that building. I finally had the courage to ask one or two people what they thought; they all had the same appreciation as me. Hearing about an important person or learning about them in a history book gives you vast knowledge but it doesn’t evoke the feeling of utter appreciation as the memorial does. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, many people wanted to build a memorial in honor of him. They wanted to be able to show how important he was to shaping our nation and to “honor his existence”. Ce...
The intent of the Confederate monuments is to honor the soldiers and officers that fought in the civil war and to show this part of our history. The intent of the Christopher Columbus monuments is to celebrate the man who “discovered America” and brought
One can only hope that the nation will never again be faced with such a horrible conflict which results in the deaths of so many people. Works Cited http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/80676http://homepages.rpi.edu/fiscap/history_files/monitor.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_Navyhttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1219442/advantages_and_disadvantages_of_the_pg2.html?cat=37http://www.gatewaynmra.org/articles/civil
Imagine standing in front of the defaced statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee only to hear two sides of people curse, hurt each other. This situation is too familiar for people who visit Charlottesville, VA, the formerly peaceful town. The controversy between Confederate memorials never ends. Many people argue that Confederate monuments should be taken down because they become the flashpoints of unrest and violence. As far as I am concerned, confederate memorials should remain as these memorials are the legacy of history; history is value-neutral and innocent.
The American Civil war is considered to be one of the most defining moments in American history. It is the war that shaped the social, political and economic structure with a broader prospect of unifying the states and hence leading to this ideal nation of unified states as it is today. In the book “Confederates in the Attic”, the author Tony Horwitz gives an account of his year long exploration through the places where the U.S. Civil War was fought. He took his childhood interest in the Civil War to a new level by traveling around the South in search of Civil War relics, battle fields, and most importantly stories. The title “Confederates in the Attic”: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War carries two meanings in Tony Horwitz’s thoughtful and entertaining exploration of the role of the American Civil War in the modern world of the South. The first meaning alludes to Horwitz’s personal interest in the war. As the grandson of a Russian Jew, Horwitz was raised in the North but early in his childhood developed a fascination with the South’s myth and history. He tells readers that as a child he wrote about the war and even constructed a mural of significant battles in the attic of his own home. The second meaning refers to regional memory, the importance or lack thereof yet attached to this momentous national event. As Horwitz visits the sites throughout the South, he encounters unreconstructed rebels who still hold to outdated beliefs. He also meets groups of “re-enactors,” devotees who attempt to relive the experience of the soldier’s life and death. One of his most disheartening and yet unsurprising realizations is that attitudes towards the war divide along racial lines. Too many whites wrap the memory in nostalgia, refusing...