Confederate Monuments Argumentative Essay

Words: 736
Pages: 3

According to a 2016 report there are 718 identified confederate monuments and statues spread across the United States (splcenter.org) . Due to recent tragedies there has been an uproar in debates about the removal of confederate monuments, and as a result of one of those tragedies the confederate battle flag has already been removed from the state house in South Carolina. Although both sides seem to present valid points, the people of America can not come to a wholesome agreement. Removing confederate monuments is seen as “erasing history” to some, but due to a large number of people who see it as offensive and a reminder of white superiority, confederate monuments should be removed. To begin with, this has not been something the Americans have been fighting for for decades. It dates back to June 2015 when Dylann Roof, a 19 year old white male, went into a church in Charleston, SC and killed 9 African-Americans. That incident itself did not start this argument, but when a picture of him holding a confederate flag in one hand and a gun in the other surfaced all over the media this started a movement to remove the flag from public places. Since then many places in the south have been considering whether or not to take down their confederate symbols. Many states such as Texas, North Carolina …show more content…
They say that the monuments are about southern pride, that they honor historical leaders, and it would be disrespectful to tear them down. Sophia A. Nelson says “A great Nation does not hide it’s history” and “We do not learn when we run from our wrongs. We learn when we face them” (nbcnews.com). She believes that taking down the monuments will be seen as forgetting and running from problems just as others do. Most people who are for keeping these monuments present the same