Keating, Brittain, Perine 1

Nadia Keating, Emily Brittain, Kylar Perine

Mrs. Wines

Comp 1

November 19th

Historic Statue Removal

When you think of Thomas Jefferson, what comes to mind? A founding father? A

president? Maybe even, the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence? While all of those

are correct, for some, other things come to mind first. The name “Thomas Jefferson” brings

about anger in some, the first thing that comes to mind is that he was a slave owner. This part of

his life makes people forget about all of his accomplishments. People refuse to recognize the

legacies of those who have shaped this nation, they’ve become entrenched in the idea that

anyone who owned slaves is nothing more than merely a slave owner. This small portion of

other’s legacies is causing people to seek to dismantle the statues of people that owned slaves at

any point in time. Every day we hear of a new statue being removed or vandalized. These people

do it because they believe we are “glorifying” slave owners, that's not the case. George W. Bush

once said, “A great nation does not hide its history, it faces its flaws and corrects them.” The

removal of statues only covers up and hides the history these people wish to shed light on. It

affects our education and society in ways that people don't realize. Historic statue removals

should cease because if there is an issue with the statue you should face the flaws and correct

them, removing the statues will only cover up the history behind it all and what it has taught us

through history and the history we have learned can not be erased, it’s still here through memory.

People, at some point in their lives, will do things they are not proud of. Humans are

prone to making mistakes, some larger than others. While it is necessary to remember them for
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their decisions that were of major importance, we must hold these people accountable for their

mistakes. The statues that people want to be removed are of those who have done a great deal of

good for the world, or their country but have done things that are deemed “wrong” by today's

standards. Notable examples are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Christopher Columbus,

and Francis Scott Key. These men did great things throughout their lives, ranging from founding

a nation to giving the said nation its national song. Their fatal flaw was owning slaves. While

this was a practice done by every civilization at some point in time in the known world, it doesn't

make it right. As I previously stated, George W Bush once said: “A great nation does not hide its

history, it faces its flaws and corrects them.” We can not remove these statues because we dislike

the mistakes made by their inspiration, instead, we must acknowledge it and come to terms with

our nation's painful past. Removing the statues of these people will only hide the history that we

must accept to grow as a nation. They say you shouldn’t run from your problems but rather, face

them head-on; this is one of the times that the citizens of the United States need to face their

problems head-on instead of trying to run from it and act like it never occurred in the name of

not offending anyone.

The start of removing statues began with the Black Lives Matter movements, but they

have only focused on one thing. The slave owners of the past, not what those historical figures

have done well for our country. “You don't change the course of history by turning the faces of

portraits to the wall.” Jawaharlal Nehru (From PM of India). There are statues that have been

targeted like Ulysses S. Grant, and President George Washington, who was not involved in the

Confederacy. Unfortunately, though they did own slaves, their statues were put up not to

commemorate their slaveholding but for many different reasons. So these statues need to be

contextualized historically. They shouldn't forget that many of these historical figures were slave
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owners but there should also be a case individually about each one. When the statue of Grant

came down there was a lot of disagreement because he was never comfortable with owning that

one slave that was given to him by his father-in-law. Therefore leading him to free that slave.

This was way before he became president or commanded the Union Army. He also had a huge

factor in the destruction of slavery because he went on and defeated the confederacy. Before

taking action there should be a discussion about the things good and or bad about the statues

being brought down.

The history of our world is one of the most important things we all know about. Some

more than others. Everyone learns from different articles, media, or physical things like statues.

Every statue that has been put up in this world has some type of meaning behind it. One hundred

percent of the time it is history. Some people may not agree with the history behind the statue

that is standing today but removing them will not solve the discontent feelings that exist within

many. Removing the statues will not magically erase the memory of the meaning behind that

statue or like was said in the history behind it. Every statue leads to a certain point that has

affected our world or country in some way and Goerge Orwell once said about this “Every

record has been destroyed or falsified, every book was 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.¨ George is

stating that things are happening to our statues and other major parts of history and history has

stopped because of it but it does not go away. People who have read about those statues or have

visited them will and are sure to remember that as a part of history and won’t forget it.

There are many people who would say that the statues represent painful things of the past

for racist ideals. They misrepresent history, and glorify people who perpetuated slavery,
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attempted secession from the United States, and lost the Civil War. Also, they are a painful

reminder of past and present institutionalized racism in the United States. There are others who

could be represented by statues who would better represent the historical progress and diversity

of the country. Therefore, arguing that the statues being removed isn’t so bad and should be

praised. However, “There is a difference between remembrance of history and reverence of it.”

(Mitch Landrieu). This quote is saying that it’s one thing to acknowledge the past and know what

happened, but it’s another to show deep respect for it and “worship” it. Taking down the statues

is just trying to cover up the history of America instead of representing it but realizing that it was

wrong. You can’t just get rid of history. Therefore, statue removal should be examined and

looked upon with thoughts, not actions.

George W. Bush once said, “A great nation does not hide its history, it faces its flaws and

corrects them.” The removal of historic statues by any group, whether it be left-wing extremists,

right-wing extremists, or knuckleheads looking to cause mischief must stop. The people of the

United States need to understand why these statues stand and to appreciate the legacies of who

they represent. They need to come together to acknowledge and accept the horrible past that

causes disconnect, discontent, and division. Opponents of statue removal aren’t racists or people

who glorify slave owners, they are people who acknowledge the sacrifices and commitments

made by those who have a statue modeled after them. Historical statue removal must come to an

end. No amount of statues being torn down will erase the history, fix the damage done, or bring

us any closer.