Can We Talk About The Statues?

Another Historical Conversation

Can We Really Talk About The Statues?

The creation of the Confederate States of America is one of the unique chapters in the history of the United States. Formed in 1861 and concluded in 1865, this entity operated as a separate nation with its own governmental structure during the entirety of the Civil War. What is so important about the CSA is that it was a reflection of what Southerners believed failed in the United States. In essence it was the creation of a “more perfect” union that endorsed slavery and racial inequality.

            Once the war efforts started to decline and it was apparent that the CSA was not going to succeed, divisions of the Confederate Army surrendered and Union troops hunted down and captured members of the CSA government including its president and vice president.  By December 1865, all vestiges of the CSA were defeated.

            A defeated but not destroyed mindset permeated the South.  The “Lost Cause” became the historical memory of the conflict and the dream of what could have been.  Symbolism and living symbols were consciously promoted to honor those who fought and died in the conflict but also as signs of resentment of Union treatment of the South in the decade following the conclusion of the war.  Let’s not ignore the history of Reconstruction.  During Reconstruction the enslaved were liberated, federal troops occupied the South, and former CSA regions, in order to regain statehood, had to allow for African American citizenship and suffrage.  The wealth of the Southern aristocracy was destroyed as its work force now ran from the plantation or demanded salaries.  When possible, freed blacks now craved their own land and opportunities.

A counter-Reconstruction movement was one of resistance.  The Southern elite tried to weaken the resolve of the freedmen through violence and intimidation.  It also attacked white allies and the federal government in legal and illegal ways.  Although the federal government tried to outlaw violent groups like the Klu Klux Klan, by 1873 it lost its enthusiasm to protect the rights of the freedmen. By 1876, Reconstruction ended as the federal troops left the South.

The defeated South, more than the North, was able to promote its image of the legacy of the Civil War.  A slogan, “The South Will Rise Again,” a chant, the “Rebel Yell” and the waving of the “Bloody Shirt” are examples of recreating the imagery of the Lost Cause.  Similarly, the construction of a “Confederate flag,” the establishment of memorializing “social organizations,” the creation of a “memorial day,” and the building of “Civil War” statutes emerged as other ways to celebrate an embittered group.

            However, what is important about the creation of the Southern perspective is that its origins honor a war that was lost and event in which some people in a region of the nation tried to overthrow the existing government.  America is the only nation that openly honors people that must be considered revolutionaries and traitors.  For more than 100 years, the American educational system has allowed states to write their own histories and publish their own textbooks. Southern states use textbooks that glorify the lost cause mindset. Colleges and universities throughout the South (as well as some northern and western institutions) have named buildings and constructed statues honoring CSA soldiers, generals, and politicians.

            The imagery of the Confederacy is deeply embedded in American culture.  However, the history of the Confederacy, the formation of the nation, its leaders, and national philosophy is not well known.  Most Americans do not know the truth of this period.  Within this context, the establishment of Confederate statues is extremely important.

            Confederate statues, like all statues in America, are public creations. Communities, not the government, decide if a statue is warranted and where they can be erected.  Yet, following the Civil War, African Americans were a critical component of the Southern community.  Few, if any, were in favor of building statues to honor those who desired to oppress them.  As a result, the attempts to build hundreds of these statues were thwarted during Reconstruction when blacks had a role in elective politics. However, in the Jim Crow era, when blacks were removed from political life, and the remnants of the Southern aristocracy regained power, the construction of Confederate statues flourished.  Coincidence? Not, at all!  These statues served as reminders to African Americans who was in power and what fates waited for them if they challenged the social order.

            Confederate statues more often honor men of might, soldiers and generals, rather than politicians. It is a curious choice to worship generals in a nation where most students cannot name more than three military men who led the nation to its independence.  The mystery ends when the statues are seen as images of white superiority.

For example, Alexander Stephens and Jefferson Davis were the leaders of the CSA, but they are not as well known as Robert E. Lee.  Clearly, General Lee should be honored in his home state, but should this tribute exist throughout the nation?  He did not lead the Confederate Army but the Army of Northern Virginia.  Conversely, should General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, who died in 1863, be honored more than General Ulysses Grant, the Union general who won the war and was later a two-term president?

While the waves of statue erection began after Reconstruction, their construction increased after 1900.  Statues were also built during the 1960s.  The watchful eyes in the statues and busts of the Confederate soldiers were placed throughout the nation to remind African Americans and liberal whites about the Lost Cause. Their spiritual connection to the war juxtaposed the emerging Civil Rights Movements in the 1930s, when Southern blacks were denied citizenship and could not contest the building of these monuments.  It was also at this time when the other symbols of the Confederacy were revitalized.

Hence the current argument about the statues and their removal lacks a historical context. To argue that the statues are not offensive is a matter of opinion. For nearly a century, blacks could not state their feelings about buildings named after Confederate soldiers and politicians, the Confederate flag, or the statues.  Now that they can, their thoughts are being minimized or discarded.

The statues do not represent factual history-they are tools of historical memory.  These statues became monuments to the segregated South baring black bodies from entering parks, schools, colleges and universities, and other public and private facilities. At the same time, they also enforced concepts of defacto segregation in Northern, Western and Midwestern communities.

Often people cannot recall any factual information about the memorialized figures.  Others do not pay attention to the statues-they are simply monuments of the past.  Nor do the statues represent American culture.  By stating they represent culture means embracing the Lost Cause-secession, slavery, war, death and traitors.

The CSA is a part of America but part of its dark past.  It cannot be systematically removed even if all of the statues are no longer standing. However, in teaching the history of the Civil War and in keeping the remaining statues, honesty needs to be the key ingredient.  Confederate statues, monuments and plaques should have correct information attached to them.  And only one version of the outcome of the Civil War should be taught in schools. The Civil War was a rebellion and the CSA was defeated. We should not make heroes out of those who defied the authority of the federal government.

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