Several tragic events in recent years have helped fuel a growing nationwide movement to purge Confederate iconography from the country’s public spaces. In June 2015, the killing of nine African Americans at the Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, spurred impassioned calls for the Confederate battle flag to be removed from the grounds of the South Carolina statehouse; it came down the following month. Two years later, a deadly clash between white nationalists and counterprotesters over the proposed removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville’s Emancipation Park accelerated and widened the ongoing debate, expanding it from a focus on the battle flag to one that included monuments of ex-Rebels.
Most recently, the May 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis intensified the push to remove Confederate symbols across the nation. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), over 65 monuments have come down since Floyd’s death. “The removal of these symbols sends a powerful message,” noted SPLC Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks. “For our nation to heal, we cannot tolerate Confederate symbols that honor and mythologize a cruel, hateful past.”
These changes are not without their detractors. Some are dead set against any removals. Others wonder whether the zeal to tear down monuments could possibly be taken too far. In this issue’s cover story, “Monumental Decisions” (p. 20), six historians offer their own take on the controversy. Their perspectives add needed historical context to the debate. They also shed light on which monuments they believe should come down, which should not, and why.
We know how controversial this issue is—and we want to hear from you. Share your thoughts about this article or others in this issue by sending an email to [email protected].
* * *
There’s another change to announce, this one close to home. Mark Grimsley’s long-running column, “American Iliad,” comes to an end with this issue’s installment. Since its launch in our Fall 2015 issue, the column has explored the ways in which “the Civil War routinely functions as a national myth, a way to understand ourselves as Americans.” We thank Mark for his hard work and many insights. It’s been a fascinating and eye-opening ride.
