To have effigies of those who fought against our nation, who fought against equality, who fought against the very ideals we hold ourselves to as a country, is unacceptable. I cannot possibly deny that the Confederacy was and continues to be a part of our history, that is simply fact. Still, I believe that statues do not serve as a reminder nor a deterrent, but as somewhat of an enabler. White supremacist groups continue to worship these statues as idols, rallying with torches and Confederate flags. We do not need bronze to remind us of the past. The events in the past and even now in recent times already make it impossible to wipe the images of the Confederacy. I am not saying that forgetting this awful period in American history is the correct thing to do. But to continue to preserve …show more content…
It is more than laughable to think of Neo-Nazis erecting figures of Hitler, it is the same concept with Confederate “icons”. Millions of slaves were persecuted at the hands of these Southern “heroes”. These men fought to preserve an institution that believed that all men were NOT created equal. To continue to support these statues is Un-American, and blatantly racist. These statues represent the torture of the chains of slavery. To say the Confederates stood for anything else is a lie. To put it plainly: if history is written by the winners, why do we continue to glorify the (extremely racist and dishonorable) losers? Tear down these monuments and in their place erect models of civil rights heroes, of abolitionists, and former slaves. Lower the Confederate flags, burn them for all I care; raze Confederate statues, tear down the culture of racism and hatred, replace it with compassion and understanding. I recognize the ideal of total respect and understanding is near impossible, but we as a society, as a country, as the world cannot continue to carry this hatred, to glorify abusers, to ignore our mistakes and not learn from