Many government officials want to remove the Confederate statues and monuments because they believe that these statues celebrate White supremacy. There are almost hundreds of such monuments and statues throughout the US. On the other hand, President Donald Trump thinks that removal of these statues is destroying the history and culture of the country.
White nationalists organized a torchlight rally to defend the monument of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville. They think that these statues are an innocuous symbol of the Confederate heritage.
The United Daughters of Confederacy (UDC) was one of the most influential groups of white women’s organizations in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This group is responsible for most of the Confederate memorials.
The University of Texas at Austin removed three Confederate statues from the campus. These statues were of Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston. Both of them were Confederate generals and the third statue was of the Confederate cabinet member John Regan. The university’s president stated that after the violent protests in Charlottesville they have realized that what these statues represented.
They were erected in the midst of Jim Crow and segregation and celebrated white supremacy. According to him, such statues and monuments are being used by white nationalists to symbolized hatred and bigotry.
These statues are the latest to be removed in this year. The removal was done overnight. A university spokesman said that it was for public safety and to avoid any kind of disruption to the university community.
President Trump does not seem to be happy with all his happening. According to him, along with these statues and monuments, the beauty of the country is being ripped apart. Trump states that we should learn from the history instead of trying to change it.
