In the news today, a continual debate can be found about the significance of Confederate monuments and if they should remain or be removed. Confederate monuments that have been erected throughout the U.S. should be kept because of the preservation of America’s history. For instance, in the article, The Unbearable Lightness of Confederate-Statue Removal, the author lists how slaveholder monuments aren’t the only statues being vandalized, but the Lincoln Memorial and Mount Rushmore are other symbols of U.S. history that some believe need to “blow up” (Murdock). Every historical symbol can have both people who appreciate it and who oppose it. That doesn’t mean that we should tear down all symbols, but
Argumentative Essay The debate over how the Confederate and Columbus monuments should be treated starting from Confederate monuments in Southern cities like Charlottesville, VA has led to similar debates over Columbus monuments in northern cities like New York over what the statues have come to represent to people. In which to some it has come to represent racism, slavery, oppression, and destruction, but to others it is an honor towards their ancestors, culture, and race. Though in the end the Confederate monuments should just be left alone as there is no assurance that in the removal, destruction, or transfer of these monuments will stop or end the controversy involving the monuments in question towards both the supporting and opposing sides
Reconstruction era, which was followed by post-civil war, was meant to unite the states back together, reconstruct properties, and most importantly, abolish slavery in the South. Although the factors such as amendments legally freed former slaves, yet
I believe that Confederate monuments should be used as educational opportunities. Younger people can see Confederate monuments and learn from the mistakes of earlier generations. On Memorial Day in 1884, Oliver Holmes Jr. (former Union Veteran) stated. “I believe that our memorial halls, statues, and tablets, the tattered flags of our regiments gathered in the State Houses, are worth more to our younger men by way of inspiration than the monuments of another hundred years of peaceful life could exist”(Federalist 8/18/17). Learning from the shortcomings of others can benefit others in the pursuit of peaceful living.
Should monuments be removed? For many years people have been arguing whether certain controversial monuments, such as statues, should be destroyed or removed. A common type of monuments in this situation are the Confederacy monuments. These are various statues across the US which honor Confederate leaders or “heroes”. Many see these offensive since those people basically oppressed African Americans for years and were fighting to keep doing so.
The Reconstruction period lasted from 1865 to 1877. The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendment were created during the twelve years of rebuilding the country. All of the amendments were made to protect former slaves and their rights but on paper they did not have any rights. The reconstruction period had its successes and failures.
When individuals ponder everything that went into the making of our nation, there is a plethora of different events to consider. Regardless of how many events, good or bad, have occurred in American history, all human beings alike tend to look at our history with tunnel vision—only focusing on the good. Our citizens, past and present, everyday people to politicians, either fail to acknowledge the existence of our historic downfalls or they manipulate these downfalls into something justifiable. Even more so now than ever, when bad things occur in America, they get purposely swept under the rug and forcefully shoved into the depths of the closet. The reconstruction that occurred post-Civil War is no exception to this aforementioned flaw. The
The American civil war led to the reunion of the South and the North. But, its consequences led the Republicans to take the lead of reconstructing what the war had destroyed especially in the South because it contained larger numbers of newly freed slaves. Just after the civil war, America entered into what was called as the reconstruction era. Reconstruction refers to when “the federal government established the terms on which rebellious Southern states would be integrated back into the Union” (Watts 246). As a further matter, it also meant “the process of helping the 4 million freed slaves after the civil war [to] make the transition to freedom” (DeFord and Schwarz 96).
The Reconstruction Period The debate over reconstruction ... United States History Mrs.Fynn Grade 11 History Report Written BY: Anicasia Perez September 30,2016 Occurring between the years 1863-1877,was a period of rebuilding; in which we know of today as The Reconstruction period. In determining whether the Reconstruction was a success or failure to the freedmen, one must assess the extent in which the lives of the freedmen had been altered by the Reconstruction. The Reconstruction was a success due to it resulting in restoring the United States as a unified nation; by 1877, all of the former Confederate states had created new constitutions, as well as acknowledged the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, and pledged their loyalty to the
Reflection on the Reconstruction Period The reconstruction period was a time of cause and effect. It was a time when in order to rebuild the strength of society economically, socially, and politically after a the loss of life and stability in the civil war. In the socratic seminar we discussed how the during the reconstruction period the goal was to ‘fix’ the south as in the eyes of the government, they were the cause of the problem.
The Reconstruction Era was the time where they tried to fix all the issues from the American Civil War. They were dealing with the issue of the Southern states wanting to rejoin the Union, the leaders, and of course what rights the freed slaves had. The northerners wanted to punish those in the South, and the southerners wanted to just keep their way of life the same. The northerners were angry because the Southern states were allowed back into the Union by Lincoln trying to bring them all back together quickly, which the Radicals were against. Then came letting the freed slaves vote and have rights. The southerners did not like this, and with the Jim Crow laws they were able to keep their “way of life” for many years to come.
I feel that congress should not make a national monument for those who move to the west in the 1850s and 1860s, which are known as pioneers. I feel that they shouldn’t do this because it is a historical site or geographical area that is set aside by a national government and is maintained for public use. A national monument may cause fights, because it is created from any land that is owned or controlled by the government. National monuments also need proper care and management for the objects in order for them to be protected. National monuments also require a fee before entering, which back in the 1850s and 1860s people didn’t really have any money, especially to be spent on a monument.
Should Cities Be Allowed To Take Down Confederate Statues? What do you think about Confederate Statues? Should cities and governments be allowed to take these statues down? The city of New Orleans had this problem.
A monument that is not desired will not be effective or honored such as the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota. People have to favor a monument being put in place in order for it to work. An example of this would be the Crazy Horse Memorial sculpture being developed in South Dakota. Lawrence Downes argues in Source C (Downes), “The Crazy Horse Memorial has some of the same problems: it is most definitely an unnatural landmark. Some of the Indians I met in South Dakota voiced their own misgivings, starting with the fact that it presumes to depict a proud man who was never captured in a photograph or drawn from life.”
The American Civil War that was started due to the controversy over slavery in 1861, was won by The Union supported by President Lincoln against the Confederate states. President Lincoln’s original goal during the civil war was to reunify the nation as quickly as possible and help both sides come to an understanding. After the Civil War ended in 1865, the newly formed United States’ reconstruction era began. The Reconstruction era was put into effect by the Congress in 1866 and lasted until 1877. The Union’s victory in the Civil War had given African Americans a new sense of hope, devastated the southern economy, and eased the history of disunity in American political life. Reconstruction was a program used to help the south rebuild and join