In the United States, there is believed to be around 700 national confederate statues and memorials. As of late, they have become the major focal point of a large and destructive debate on racism in the U.S.
It is no secret that the history of the United States, and much of the world, has been plagued by racism. However, the debate over this history has caused major political unrest among many Americans.
The main controversy of the debate today is whether confederate statues should be removed. Many from the political left have made the statements that the statues are racist a demeaning to African Americans in America. Members of the political right argue that by removing these statutes, history will be destroyed.
Statues have been removed from Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Pensacola, Jacksonville, Lexington, Richmond and Birmingham, with more being considered to be removed everyday.
The statue in Durham, North Carolina, which had stood since 1924 and was protected by a special law, was illegally torn down by protesters on Aug. 19th. This event shows the true detrimental attitude of these protestors and their inability to have peaceful protests.
These protesters will stop at nothing, to take down or destroy anything they disagree with. Including American history.
The people protecting the statues are not bad, racist people. Their opinion is that the statutes should be left where they stand; not because they support the evil acts and people of the Civil War, but because they want to preserve history. No matter if it offends others.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” said philosopher George Santayana.
Many are wondering where the destruction of history will stop. With confederate statues being removed left and right, how will we ever remember our past? Soon this history will be taken out of textbooks and school, along with any other American events and people who the “Left” feels are racist.
“So, this week it’s Robert E. Lee, I notice that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder is it George Washington next week, and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?” said President Donald Trump.
With these statues starting to become a considerable problem in America as of 2017, why were they not a problem before then? The majority of people have gone their whole lives without ever thinking of these statues until now.
George Orwell wrote in his novel “1984,” “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right”
These statutes provide a physical reminder of our past, so that we can never forget, or repeat. If one day, all the statues are gone, no one will know what we might repeat. There could be another war, or even something as evil as slavery itself.
While it is highly improbable that slavery will ever return to the United States, a secession from the Union, or another war, is very feasible.
Whether you like the statues, we should all agree we do not want a repeat of our dark history. So we should come together as a nation and agree that for the benefit of the county, we need to let these statues remain in order to prevent a repeat of our dark moments in history.