Debate Over Confederate Monuments Fails to See Both Sides Headlines ‘round the United States are declaring their sentiments about the removal or preservation of statues, sculptures, and monuments that were built in tribute to the former Confederate States of America. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” If we are to truly adhere to King’s words, we must examine the arguments across all sides of the spectrum equally to deliver justice to the Union. We must also make distinction between Confederate monuments, memorials, and references. Though debates about Confederate monuments have been prevalent since the end of the Civil War, the most recent flame seems to have been ignited by the recent events that happened in Charlottesville. On August 11th and 12th, various members of alt-right groups, which included neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, took part in what has been called the “Unite the Right Rally.” TIn the morning of the 12th, the event turned violent when a man associated with white supremacists drove his car into the counter protestor crowd, injuring nineteen people and killing one. These events were heavily broadcast in the news, with sympathy for the victims and advocacy for human rights championed by people on all sides of the political spectrum. It took some time before President Donald …show more content…
While Confederate generals and leaders were certainly guilty of at least aiding the cause of oppression in the United States, plenty of statues of long since dead figures exist despite the horrible atrocities they had committed based on modern standards. Statues of Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian warlord who inspired the modern day Dracula, are a prime example. Though he mercilessly killed many Ottoman invaders with his infamous use of impalement, he is still regarded as a patriotic hero-figure by the people, not to mention his role as a tourist