2017+Confederate+Memorials

=The Confederate Memorial Dilemma: History vs. Memory=

In the wake of last week's violence in Charlottesville, VA- home of the University of Virginia and Jefferson's home at Monticello, there has been a national debate about the future of more than 1500 Confederate monuments and memorials mostly- but not all in the states of the former Confederacy. At issue as well are 12 statues on display in the U.S. Capitol, and a couple of memorials in Ohio at Confederate Cemeteries connected with POW camps at Camp Chase and Johnson's Island.

In Charlottesville, a rally and march was organized to protest the planned removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee- commander of the Army of Northern Virginia during the war from a city park. Counter protesters responded, and in the hostility and chaos that ensued a woman was killed and many more were seriously wounded when a car driven by a member of one side plowed into a crowd of people on the other. Since then Baltimore has removed 3 statues to prevent a repeat of such violence. A crowd took it upon themselves to topple a statue in Durham, North Carolina. Statues in Ohio have been vandalized.

Here is a video created by the Choices Program of Brown University to give background on recent events.

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History is always open to interpretation, and how stories are told depend on the authors. Do you think it is best to remember history as it actually was, or to interpret it to convey specific lessons... to remember history as we want it to be remembered? In the wake of the murders committed in an African-American church in South Carolina 2 years ago and the use of the Confederate Flag as a symbol by the perpetrator, the use of that flag has been greatly restricted in response both by official legislation in Southern States and by popular pressure throughout the nation. Should Confederate Monuments likewise be removed from public display in the wake of Charlottesville? Should these decisions be taken on a case-by case basis? And what about how we remember and commemorate the Civil War in general? What about Civil War re-enactments for example?

Here is a guide to all of the Confederate Monuments, Memorials, and Markers in the U.S. compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center. (Disclaimer- the map is accurate, but the SPLC advocates for the removal of the monuments)

Map of 1500 Confederate Monuments

For balance, here is an editorial from NBC news in favor of keeping Confederate Monuments

Don't Take Down Confederate Monuments

What do you think is the best course of action for the United States to take at this time in regards to dealing with the dilemma of history vs. memory as it is presented by the current controversy over the appropriateness of Confederate Monuments.