by Lynn Mandaville
In our house we are having the same discussion that most every family in the nation is having. The subject is Confederate monuments, and whether or not they warrant removal from public places.
In our house we always have one “devil’s advocate” who argues the unpopular side, in this case pro-monument. So lots of questions came up and, naturally, I had to research the answers to them, because I’m a librarian and I’m all about information and accurate facts. So here are some things my family learned.
Civil War re-enactments actually began, on a very small scale, during and shortly after the Civil War. These were small, local displays to honor loved ones who died in the glorious battles to preserve the southern way of life. Modern day re-enactments began in the 1960s during the centennial celebrations of the Civil War. Their intent was to accurately depict specific historic battles of that war. Interest waned after that, but there was a resurgence in the ’90s as the 125th anniversary of the war came and went.
Currently, interest has fallen off again because of the prohibitive cost of accurate portrayal — uniforms, accessories, accoutrements, etc. But it is important to emphasize that this movement has pretty much been an entirely historical endeavor, without undertones of racism or white supremacy. The key word is historical.
Civil War monuments, on the other hand, began to be erected in the early 1900s, long after the war had ended, largely by women’s auxiliaries or civic groups. These women raised money to create these statues to commemorate the husbands, fathers, sons and brothers who fought to preserve a romanticized memory of southern plantation life. It became called the Lost Cause, and it was much more an emotional response to their lost way of life, which was, specifically, a life based on slavery and the oppression of Africans who had been kidnapped by slave traders and exploited for the benefit of wealthy southern plantation owners.
Therefore, though thinly veiled as monuments to heroes of history, these monuments are reminders of the specific traitors who fought against the United States of America. There should be no mistaking that these monuments and statues glorify a moment in American history that is vile, repulsive, abhorrant, loathsome, deplorable, and any other synonym you can think of for hateful and embarrassing. Is that moment historical? Yes, of course it is. But is it worthy of preserving in public squares or in front of court houses? God, no!
History must always have a place in our lives. But the place must be appropriate, and it must be sensitive to those who are hurt by the reminder of such injustice. And I don’t mean just African-Americans. Though they are the people most obviously harmed by this period in our American life, anyone who has been oppressed, or anyone whose ancestors participated in that oppression, are also liable to feel remorse and pain by these public displays of treason and human injustice.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every person under heaven.”
These well-known words are from the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes. They speak to a time and place for everything in our lives, both the good and the bad.
“A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to reap. A time to dance and a time to mourn.”
The way of life of the old South is a period in history to mourn, not an occasion to dance. It is a time not to be swept under the rug of history, but to put on a reference shelf for future generations to research and ponder for its ability to blossom even under the eyes of so-called Christian men.
In light of these facts I would leave it up to the reader to discern whether or not it is a good idea to retain public prominence for the reminders of the darkest days of southern heritage. But in our house the consensus is to remove them to an outdoor museum where they can be viewed in their proper context. Where the bright light of truth, justice and the American way can illuminate who we were, and who we no longer are.
I wonder why people don’t view these monuments as the beautiful, artistic works that they are? I wish we, as a country, didn’t always look for a deeper meaning to everything.
A nativity scene or menorah, even on public property, doesn’t necessarily mean that you aren’t welcome if you are not a Christian or Jewish. Saying “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanuka” shouldn’t offend anyone. They are merely wishing you good times.
My main thought is how foolish it is to look for a battle and possible death just because a person or group doesn’t agree with another person or group. This extends to our recent street fights, shootings and stabbings. And now it includes using a vehicle to run down people.
The confederates waged war against the United States of America. I see no reason to commemorate our enemies. The brave troops of Allegan, Martin and Hopkins were the ones who caught Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who was wearing a dress and bonnet in hopes of escaping the Union troops, the way I’ve heard it. Davis was not summarily executed — though some might have thought the leader of the rebellion should have met that fate.
One thing that irks me is that there are nine U.S. Army forts, and one camp, named for Confederate generals. They are Camp Beauregard, and Forts Benning, Bragg, Gordon, Hill, Hood, Lee, Pickett, Polk and Rucker. This seems wrong to me.
Mr. Basura,
It is obvious you know little of history of the Confederacy or the people behind the fort names. Most if not all were at one time in the Union Army and most fought in the Mexican War with honor and distinction. General Lee was a graduate of West Point with no demerits (if you know anything of West Point, that is virtually impossible). General Lee was offered the command of the Union Army, which of course he turned down. He was offered the command of the entire Confederate Army which he reluctantly accepted. He had served in the Union Army since West Point and had no desire to fight against friends he had known for years. But his honor and duty was devoted to his State of Virginia (citizens were devoted to the state they lived in, the federal government was secondary). Your hate for anything Confederate should extend to George Custer if you are so against racism – he harassed and killed many Native Americans before they killed him. Maybe Fort Custer in Battle Creek should be renamed?
Jefferson Davis was the political leader of a secessionist government that raised an army to fight in places as far north as PA.
Lee and the other generals chose their states over their country. They were West Point grads but their college records don’t wipe out the fact they led armies that killed more than 600,000 Union soldiers. They chose to support a government that wanted to maintain the status quo of segregation because they thought their financial futures depended on it. That wasn’t honor. It was choosing a way to keep their land holdings and wealth under a system that used slave labor in order to be profitable.
Those monuments were reminders that though the war was lost, those who supported its ideas were still around and were going to continue the fight for states’ rights which still is code for segregation. Many were built after the Plessy v Ferguson (1896) decision that re-affirmed “separate but equal.” That timing wasn’t coincidental.
I’m shocked we have so many Americans who want to view the Civil War through rose colored glasses rather than for what it was — An armed rebellion to form a new country.
The losers are recognized in history books. They don’t need to be memorialized and be symbols of white supremacy, which was one of the goals they fought to affirm.