There has been much dispute over the recent protests over Confederate symbols and whether or not they should stay standing. While many people see Confederate flags and statues as symbols of racism that have no place in parks and public places, some see them as a representation of southern pride and the rebellious spirit. The protests have escalated over the last few years with protesters toppling a monument of a rebel soldier in Durham, North Carolina in August of 2017 (Jackson), and the death of a woman protesting against white supremacy just a few months before (Carbone). Tensions are still high as local governments are pressured by protester to take down statues and flags that represent the Confederacy. Those that are against the monuments
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The reason for his quarrel with the government and the writing of Civil Disobedience was Thoreau’s refusal to pay taxes supporting slavery, getting him thrown in jail, but keeping his conscious clear. Thoreau believed that each man should act in a way that agreed with their morals and not that of the government, especially if the government makes you violate your core beliefs …show more content…
The only way that this view would be justified is if the monuments truly had a historical purpose and represented southern pride and the rebel spirit, however, this is just blatantly wrong. The statue in Durham, for example, was dedicated in 1924, years after the Civil War ended (Eanes). In a graphic provided by the Southern Poverty Law Center, it shows that the statue in Durham was not alone, with most statues being put up in the early part of the 20th century, not right after the war as some would have you believe. If that isn’t recent enough to spark suspicion, look no further than the monument to Confederate General and the founder of the KKK, Nathan Bedford Forrest, erected in 1998 (Alund). It should be quite obvious that even though some people nowadays see the statues and monuments as tributes to great men who didn’t fight for slavery (even though most did), but for state’s rights, those who put the statues up did so for the sole purpose of sending a message to African Americans every time they passed them, a message that stated that segregation was still okay and that if their neighbors had their way, they would be in
The reason for his quarrel with the government and the writing of Civil Disobedience was Thoreau’s refusal to pay taxes supporting slavery, getting him thrown in jail, but keeping his conscious clear. Thoreau believed that each man should act in a way that agreed with their morals and not that of the government, especially if the government makes you violate your core beliefs …show more content…
The only way that this view would be justified is if the monuments truly had a historical purpose and represented southern pride and the rebel spirit, however, this is just blatantly wrong. The statue in Durham, for example, was dedicated in 1924, years after the Civil War ended (Eanes). In a graphic provided by the Southern Poverty Law Center, it shows that the statue in Durham was not alone, with most statues being put up in the early part of the 20th century, not right after the war as some would have you believe. If that isn’t recent enough to spark suspicion, look no further than the monument to Confederate General and the founder of the KKK, Nathan Bedford Forrest, erected in 1998 (Alund). It should be quite obvious that even though some people nowadays see the statues and monuments as tributes to great men who didn’t fight for slavery (even though most did), but for state’s rights, those who put the statues up did so for the sole purpose of sending a message to African Americans every time they passed them, a message that stated that segregation was still okay and that if their neighbors had their way, they would be in