Argumentative Essay On Confederate Monuments

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Imagine standing in front of the defaced statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee only to hear two sides of people curse, hurt each other. This situation is too familiar for people who visit Charlottesville, VA, the formerly peaceful town. The controversy between Confederate memorials never ends. Many people argue that Confederate monuments should be taken down because they become the flashpoints of unrest and violence. As far as I am concerned, confederate memorials should remain as these memorials are the legacy of history; history is value-neutral and innocent. First off, simply taking down these memorials and moving them so they are out of sight is not sophisticated. These memorials are retained to glorify the people who fought not to serve as a tool to propaganda the public. The dead should not die in vain even if they lost the war. No matter what they are fighting for, their fearless spirit should be memorized forever. The faces and names of these fallen Southern men speak not of slavery and oppression, but also of courage and the power of change. More importantly, these memorials themselves …show more content…

America’s history-both good and bad-has much to teach us. Taking down, destroying these monuments is erasing, rewriting the physical symbols of the nation. This type of cultural whitewashing is inglorious. We can treat these monuments as a cautionary tool to remind ourselves what we are and what we are not. The cost forebears paid for the freedom of the nation should be remembered; therefore, people should retain these statues to remind of themselves what these monuments represent. In conclusion, people should not take down confederate memorials as they are part of the history. They remind us of the cost of freedom and equality; they force us to remember the ignominious truth of the past; they serve as a mighty tool to educate the racists. We need them to avoid recommitting the same

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