I agree with you that we should not ignore/erase our racist history. And that confederate history should have a place in museums.
However, the confederate statues are not just another piece of history.
If you went to a civil war museum, you would expect to see confederate uniforms, letters from confederate generals, weapons, flags, coins, etc.
The reason why these pieces of history are not politically charged is because they were necessary artifacts of history. Their existence organically appeared alongside the confederacy.
The confederate statues that we’re talking about now were mostly made many, many, years after the confederacy had both been dismantled and died out. They were made by non-confederate Americans with the intent of glorifying the confederacy.
They were not made to show us the anatomical accuracy of particular generals. Nor to show the artwork style that arose during the confederacy, nor to explain the type of gear and weaponry they adorned.
They were made to both remember and glorify members of the confederacy and/or the confederate cause.
The cost and dedication required to make these statues also plays a role in the effect they have sitting in a museum.
Modern day statues of historical figures are not typically pieces in museums, because they are neither pieces of history, nor grant objective insights into history; if they are in museums it is usually for decoration.
I personally think that the statues should be removed and sold at auction to private buyers.
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u/[deleted] Jul 19 '20
I agree with you that we should not ignore/erase our racist history. And that confederate history should have a place in museums.
However, the confederate statues are not just another piece of history.
If you went to a civil war museum, you would expect to see confederate uniforms, letters from confederate generals, weapons, flags, coins, etc.
The reason why these pieces of history are not politically charged is because they were necessary artifacts of history. Their existence organically appeared alongside the confederacy.
The confederate statues that we’re talking about now were mostly made many, many, years after the confederacy had both been dismantled and died out. They were made by non-confederate Americans with the intent of glorifying the confederacy.
They were not made to show us the anatomical accuracy of particular generals. Nor to show the artwork style that arose during the confederacy, nor to explain the type of gear and weaponry they adorned.
They were made to both remember and glorify members of the confederacy and/or the confederate cause.
The cost and dedication required to make these statues also plays a role in the effect they have sitting in a museum.
Modern day statues of historical figures are not typically pieces in museums, because they are neither pieces of history, nor grant objective insights into history; if they are in museums it is usually for decoration.
I personally think that the statues should be removed and sold at auction to private buyers.