Illustration by Danni Rains
PRO: These statues must go, but not forever
Tyler Krenzin
Lantern Staff
The Civil War and the era of slavery was one of the darkest times in American history. Statues of these awful times still remain, but why when the time of Civil War generals is gone? Well some Americans are labeled stubborn, while some are labelled as racists.
In all reality, these statues have no home in a society where people and political correctness have become synonymous. No one can see a statue of General Robert E. Lee without seeing that its original purpose was to make a hero out of an awful man, but in today’s world that statue could be shown as a reminder of a past that we should never revisit.
This is the main problem of destroying the statues from this era. While yes, racism and slavery built the ideals of the men embalmed in these statues, we need to know that this is the exact reason the statues shouldn’t be destroyed. We teach history for the main purpose of showing the younger generations the problems and mistakes made in the past with hope of not repeating. So why allow things that are considered our history to be thrown out like it didn’t matter?
We should send these statues to museums across the country, not to reinforce or worship the values of the racism and hate they stood for, but to teach the many students of history what mistakes we don’t want society to make. There are plenty of statues like these across the country, so it’s not like we only have to send a couple to the Smithsonian and demolish the rest. Sending these to smaller exhibits in smaller towns where school trips can be made to reinforce that what they stood for is repugnant and wrong.
In all, racism still exists in America, you and I both know it, and to make a change, we have to carefully weigh our options. To tear down these statues and pretend like they didn’t matter is wrong and only solves the problem of outrage. But to leave these statues up without the proper literature to inform how wrongly we cast these people in the light can only hurt society. Outrage from the people is what the government fears today, and to move these statues to museums where they can be studied for what they are would be today’s best step forward.
CON: Statues should stay right where they are
Rachel McClurg
Lantern Staff
We all need to remember how horrible it was when the United States was so divided. It is important to not let our country get that bad again. The debate surrounding the statues in several southern states began when Dylann Roof shot up a primarily African American church in Charleston, South Carolina, according to CNN. Some specific statues that are going to be removed are: John Hunt Morgan and John C. Brackenridge in Kentucky, and busts of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Lt. Gen. Stonewall Jackson in New York, also according to CNN.
There are many cons of removing the Confederate statues in the south. One of them being that they are important reminders of our past. Those who who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Also it is important to remember that slavery was ultimate reason that the Civil War began. Our country should never go down that road again. Those statues are great reminders of the men that we should strive to be the opposite of. Something that the country as a whole should strive to be better than.
Next, if you are going to be protesting something, make sure you know what you should be protesting. If you are protesting the Confederate statues because those men owned slaves, then you probably shouldn’t vandalize a statue of Lincoln. Newsflash, Lincoln freed the slaves. Again, this movement is becoming really ridiculous. As I said before, it is important for U.S. citizens to be educated on past events, so they do not repeat them.
The Civil War took place over 150 years ago, and it’s time to move on. Most people in the United States do not look up to the same people that they did during that time. Whether we like it or not, the Civil War happened. There’s no changing that. It is apart of U.S. history, and that fact is not going away.
The main argument surrounding whether or not the statues should be removed is that according to some, the statues stand for slavery and all of the racism that came with that. To others, they stand for brave men that fought for what they believed in at the time. That being said, just because there are some people that support keeping the Confederate statues and that are racist that does not mean that everyone that supports keeping the statues up is racist.
