A Compromise on Confederate Monuments Essay Example

Confederate statues throughout the south have caused many conflicts in recent years. From the violent Unite the Right Rally in 2017 when the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia enraged an alt-right protest group, to the BLM protests that vandalized and tore down a variety of monuments, ranging from Confederate leaders to Christopher Colombus to George Washington. Both sides have engaged in rash decisions that have cost them the support of many. One side represents the view that these statues are problematic and offensive to many, while the other believes that to remove these monuments is to forget a part of history. We must deal with both sides of the story.

Many want to remove and destroy these statues because they can be offensive to people who believe that these effigies represent the oppression of people like them. However, these monuments are part of history, and to remove them would be to delete that impactful piece of history. We must keep this history available for future generations to learn. I am not saying that we should worship these statues of racist, confederate leaders. What I am saying is that without proper knowledge of history, history is bound to repeat itself. Given that the history being discussed is racial slavery, that would not be a good thing.          

On the other side of the argument are people who believe that the statues should remain standing in public areas like parks and town squares. These people often support the idea of history stated above. For marginalized communities, however, this can be harmful. To many, it seems like a way to reinforce the idea that the south is still run by the kind of people that the statues represent. On the other end of the spectrum, hate groups can use these figures as a source of empowerment to carry out atrocious actions. The majority of people on both sides come from a viewpoint that is correct in a sense, however, they focus too much on their talking points instead of seeing the bigger picture. This detail-oriented stance has resulted in flawed plans of action on both sides.

Could there ever be a solution that solves both sides of this argument? In a more moderate world, I believe that there could be. To begin with, take the offensive statues that idolize Confederate leaders like Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, and instead of vandalizing or destroying them, put them in a public viewing area, such as a museum, and keep them as a historical document. This way, the monuments and placards devoted to leaders of the old south are not forcing their presence upon people who are offended by them. It also does not remove these figures from history, like defacing and demolishing them seems to do. However, this should not apply to all memorials of that period. For example, we should not remove ways to remember events and actions that shaped this nation's history. We should not destroy these because if they only present to the public an event and not the personal views of anyone, they should not be offensive to anyone. We should make sure to leave standing as many markers as possible to inform the public about the history-rich area in which they reside. For while a museum is a great place to store significant yet hurtful history, these institutions also reduce the likelihood that a majority of the people will ever see it. Also, we should add more monuments to the struggles of Black people in the south. These new statues would guarantee that all views are heard and that the history of Black people is no longer marginalized.     

In my view, it is only through a compromise such as this that we can finally lay this issue to rest. While we must meet the needs of the people, it is also essential that the public stay informed.