In the wake of protests, the calls of equality for black folks are also being met with another familiar demand. The statues depicting Confederate “heroes” need to come down.
And believe it or not, some Confederate monuments are starting to come down.
Some.
One monument, a statue erected to honor Robert E. Lee in Richmond, VA, was slated to be removed from its location, but the move was blocked by a lawsuit and an injunction by a judge. The reason: In March 1890, the state agreed to, in relation to the statue and the land on which it sits, “faithfully guard” and “affectionately protect” them.
You have got to be kidding me.
A statue that was erected as a scare tactic for black people who had the nerve to be gettin’ a little uppity, has to be protected … no wait, affectionately protected, while we can’t agree why black lives matter. Let’s protect the statue but let the people it was meant to scare and dissuade fend for themselves.
Okay then.
Heritage Not Hate!
So, some of you might be thinking, “Those statues were put up to honor the leaders of the Confederate Army. People are proud of their ancestors. What’s the big deal?”
What’s the big deal? Well …
I’ll give you the heritage part. Many people are proud of their ancestors who fought in the war on both sides. It’s the “not Hate” part with which I take umbrage because there was a LOT of hate behind those statues.
A whole lot of it.
The Civil War ended in 1865. Statues commemorating the “heroes” of the Civil War started going up in the late 1800s and early 1900s. For example, the above-mentioned Lee statue was erected in 1890.
For people who were all about their heritage, why did it take 25 years before statues started going up?
Because they didn’t need to remind anyone about the “heroes” of the Confederacy until then.
Who Needed Reminding?
Between 1865 and 1876, freed blacks were actually doing okay, considering. The Union troops were still in the South so blacks had some protection for their new freedoms. They voted, ran for political office and won, owned successful businesses, and were becoming increasingly educated.
This didn’t sit well with some white people because they highly resented that newly freed people could do as well, or even better, than they. That’s when Jim Crow laws were created. To take away voting rights for blacks. Meanwhile, the Union soldiers left, Jim Crow laws became increasingly unfair, black people saw their freedoms eroding away, and white people felt more emboldened. The lynchings and terrorizing of black folks, which had never really gone away, started becoming the norm again.
But for just an added bonus of fear, states started erecting monuments to their Confederate “heroes” to remind blacks that they fought to keep them enslaved once, and they were willing to do it again.
To the Victor Goes the Spoils
Although the above angers me, there’s another reason I think those statues should be taken down, and it has nothing to do with racism.
For real.
Ever heard the saying “To the victor, goes the spoils”? Basically, the side that wins gets to celebrate and gloat (but not too much). They get to plant their flag on the newly acquired land. The loser has to accept his fate and live with it.
The Confederacy and its “heroes” lost the war. Since when does the losing side get to erect statues or monuments to its leaders?
Do the losers of the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup playoffs get a smaller Lombardi trophy and their names in smaller print on the cup?
If a person doesn’t win an Academy Award, does he or she get a smaller Oscar?
No?
Then why in the world does the South get to celebrate its “heroes’” loss with statues?
Leave the Markers, Take the Statues
Now, I’m not trying to erase history. The Civil War happened. A new state was even created. Civil War reenactments are still a thing, and there are markers on sites where battles were fought. I’ve got zero problems with that.
But continuing to laud stone bullies of alleged superiority over a group of people who merely want to live in peace and equality with everyone else is obnoxious, ridiculous and quite frankly, cruel. Put the statues in a museum and let those who want to be reminded of the great “heroes” of the Confederacy faithfully guard and affectionately protect them there.
