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Originally Posted by GGG
Did Lee start a war to separate The US from the states?
Was Lee an active proponeant of slavery? It's unclear, but in general he was a fighting out of nationalism rather than pro slavery. He was definitely racist and thoughts blacks were unintelligent though he also started schools for blacks. He also was in favour of sending them all back to Africa. Though Lee actually would likely be against statues being put up of him celebrating southern independence given his role during the reconstruction.
It's quite odd that they choose Lee as the hero of the South. He actually has a fascinating role in post war reconstruction and in general was against Southern Nationalism.
That aside, the statues should stay explaining why it was erected in the first place. It absolutely whitewashes history. This statue was erected for a reason and even when that reason is hate it's still part of the historical context. It will become an embarrassment over time but it should remain.
Do you support the De-Leninization of the Ukraine?
Also I do agree with you that in general History is poorly taught and misses the sins of our forefathers but also when discussing those sins the context of the time it happens in.
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I would support no new statues of lenin going up in the Ukraine, which would be the equivalent of adding a confederate general statue to a public square in Charlottesville in the 1920s.
My position is simple. The statues have historical value for their ties to the artists who were commissioned to create them, to the history of local governance, smithing, to the legacy of the public donation of the parks they reside in, etc. They should be preserved as historical artifacts. Perhaps some of them are representative of artistic styles or artists. Maybe someone will want them around for a thesis on bronze work in america in the early 20th century.
But they aren't necessary to illuminate or commemorate the civil war and what it represents. They should be removed from public spaces and the ones deemed to have the most historic value or artistic sentiment preserved in a museum type environment like how it is done in Memento Park in Budapest for instance. The rest? I don't know, sold to private museums? Melted down for scrap? Used as artificial marine habitat?