Confederate Monuments Pros And Cons

A Monumental Debate The American Civil War was a moment in history that everyone would like to forget. The divisive conflict over slavery, state’s rights, and expansion tore apart a country that was founded on the ideals of freedom and unity. The North and South refused to compromise with each other, and as a result, hundreds of thousands lost their lives. The Civil War was one of the darkest times in our history, and hopefully it remains in history as a reminder to not forget what happens when division tears a country apart. However, history tends to repeat itself, and today there is again divisiveness in our country. The debate on whether to keep or remove Confederate monuments is a topic of interest in America today, and there are many different opinions on the debate. In “Op-ed: The Monument Controversy: a Crucial Distinction Between History and Memory”, Matthew

I disagree with Mason’s argument because I believe the monuments do document the history of the Civil War, so removing the monuments is erasing history. I also believe that removing the monuments is against the First Amendment right of the freedom of speech. Removing Confederate statues is an erasure of a dark period of American history. In doing so, many will not have the reminder of the tragedy that was the Civil War. In the article, Mason tries to contend that there is a major difference between history and memory. He states, “History is what happened in the past. To study history is to try to understand what happened and why. Memory is how an individual or community chooses to remember what happened, usually to celebrate or condemn the events or people being commemorated. Civil War monuments document the