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Can a Confederate statue serve history?

Can a Confederate statue serve history?

As far as we know, there are not any Confederate war memorials or statues in Minnesota or Iowa. That’s because the ancestors of the good people of these two states helped defeat the Confederacy and helped end the atrocity of slavery in this country.

Elsewhere, there are such monuments, none of which went up last week, or during the Trump presidency. But as the president fumbles around with this issue, apparently trying not to alienate some of his supporters, we’re wondering if it isn’t worth at least taking one step back from the emotion of the moment to consider a few things:

Any city, county, etc., has among its rights and powers the ability to take down any monument it deems problematic, for whatever reason. When it chooses to do so, it should not be met with violent resistance. But it might consider some nod to history and ways to preserve historic pieces that could help educate future generations. If Confederate statues and war markers are all universally offensive, should they be taken down at places like Gettysburg too? Or should they serve as history that helps tell the story of the battlefield?

It is true that there are racists who support keeping such monuments because they see them as symbols of race. There are also racists who support Trump. But logically, these acknowledgements do not necessarily make the markers or Trump racist. The markers can be viewed historically. Trump can be seen (sadly) as politically expedient. Not important distinctions to some people, but distinctions nevertheless.

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