Yesterday, people were spotted trying to fish the statue of Colston out of the Bristol harbour as conflict emerged over how the protesters have behaved and whether statues should be removed. Re-Righting History: Why We Must Remove Confederate Statues Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Since the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) has been calling for a transformation of America — not just in terms of racism and how blacks are treated but also the revision of the American landscape. Arguments on both sides. RA. This is why, even though I think many should be removed, they should not disappear completely. According to History.com, George Washington kept over 300 slaves at his Mount Vernon plantation and Thomas Jefferson owned around 175 slaves as did James Madison, James Monroe, and Andrew … 53% of Democrats say the statues should come down; 71% of Republicans say they should remain standing. By Rick Anderson Opinion. From the Editorial Board:Remove Confederate monuments to America's original sin of slavery Tear down systemic racism brick by brick. Since we do not remove our parents, despite their weaknesses and errors, we do NOT remove a tradition that has given us meaning and life. And in France ? Protests over Floyd's death in Minneapolis have refocused the country's attention on police brutality and racial injustice. In September, a number of activists came forward saying statues of our first prime minister should be removed from public places due to the racist policies he put in place. Amid a world that seems hell-bent on tearing down statues in a cathartic frenzy, it is worth sparing a moment to reflect on why we erected those statues in the first place. Either remove it or put it in Statuary Hall over any other statue you would like to get out of there. Four Giant Reasons To Remove The Statues. That is why so many want those statues removed. No. But turning a statue of Cecil Rhodes into an invented psychological trauma, or demanding that it be removed as an act of decolonisation, will neither change the … People weren’t looking at the entire record of people when they put up statues to them. The statue had drawn criticism before, but none of … Why should the statues (not) be removed? In Martinique, these statues have long been criticized and actions have been taken against them. NEW YORK. And they should be removed. Do not settle for the symbolic act of taking down statues… Students 13 and older are invited to comment. Taking down the Christopher Columbus statue can lead to the desecration of other statues and eventually the call to remove any statue honoring a historical figure because they will possess some flaw. Should statues of Sir John A. Macdonald be removed? He says most Americans do not know or care who Jefferson Davis was, what century the Civil War was fought, and that relatively few people care about these statues … There is a reason black citizens in the nation’s capital direct their Uber driver or cab to take them to “D.C. The article says you will likely need 70 people pulling on very strong ropes or straps to bring down a statue. The death of George Floyd is leading to the removal -- by protesters in some cases and city leaders in others -- of contentious statues that have riled some residents for decades, if not more. We do not build war memorials to celebrate war, but as a reminder of the tragic cost of war and a warning to future generations. Who decides which statues are to be removed and where is the limit? One of the arguments used by those in favour of keeping the statues of Leopold II is similar to an argument used in favour of keeping the confederate statues in America. Opposing view: Should statues of Sir John A. Macdonald be removed? A drone image shows the area surrounding the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. Rick Anderson is a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group. This is why communities across the region have a moral obligation to take up the cause of removing them. By Lee Camp, Consortium News. The state attorney general said Monday in a statement that the city will be fined $25,000 should the statue be removed. Now there is intense controversy over whether the statue should be removed. 32% now say those statues should be removed, compared with 26% in 2017. Artifacts of hate will be lost, but their history and meaning will not. ... My point here is not that one statue should go and that the other should stay, nor is my point that both should go or both should stay. If so, this is exactly why they should remain. To be clear, symbols having meaning. Pros Cons The principal legacy of Confederate statues is white supremacy and slavery. And ultimately, it is why the others will come down, too. The statues of Confederate heroes represent for many a glorification of slavery and the attempted destruction of the United States by an enemy nation. While the left thinks that a monument’s primary purpose is to glorify great dead white men, the reality is that they were meant to be symbols of hope and progress. Maman the Big Spider. The US should remove Confederate memorials, flags, and monuments from public spaces. Having these statues in a museum instead of as a centrepiece of a city means the statues may be viewed less as a symbol of white supremacy and more as a piece of history Why should the statues (not) be removed? ... (but you totally should not read it and should not tear down a racist statue in what some consider vandalism). The Confederate statues were put up when they were put up [not just after the war but largely during periods of Civil Rights tension in the 20th century], to send a message about white supremacy, and to sentimentalize people who had actively fought to preserve the system of slavery. ... not a partisan or ideological subset of it. The statue, erected in 1890, is slated for removal. One of the arguments used by those in favour of keeping the statues of Leopold II is similar to an argument used in favour of keeping the confederate statues in America. Why do we remove some statues and not others? This is why the city council of Charlottesville voted, a century after it was commissioned, to remove the statue of Robert Edward Lee. Macdonald’s penchant for violence and degradation toward Indigenous … That is why the statue is there. No. In the wake of the recent police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism in America, there are renewed calls for Confederate monuments around the country to come down—from Birmingham, Alabama, where a 52-foot obelisk known as the Confederate Soldiers & Sailors Monument was dismantled on June 1, to Richmond's … As anti-racist protests spread around the world, more and more statues of controversial historical figures are being removed from the United States and the United Kingdom. If they did, we would be living in a country of empty plinths, I think.” If the statues are not taken down, should new historical context be added so people viewing the statues can learn from the past? Remove Confederate memorials, flags, and monuments from public spaces 1890, is slated for removal have. Is the limit, it is why communities across the region have a moral obligation to them! 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