Removing and Renaming Confederate Statues, Schools, Streets, etc: Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Confederacy lasted 4 years, that’s hardly a deep routed history. It’s all about glorifying the old southern white lifestyle built on the backs of salves. Also according to the news this morning the streets in Alexandria that are named after confederate leaders were named in the 1950’s. What was the purpose of that? Go back to the previous names like Water Street etc.

It was actually a law in the City of Alexandria that streets running in a certain direction through the City had to be named after Confederates. I am not sure when they repealed the law but it was definitely still on the books well into the 2000’s

They repealed it in 2014.
https://patch.com/virginia/oldtownalexandria/alexandria-council-repeals-confederate-streetnaming-law

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Confederacy lasted 4 years, that’s hardly a deep routed history. It’s all about glorifying the old southern white lifestyle built on the backs of salves. Also according to the news this morning the streets in Alexandria that are named after confederate leaders were named in the 1950’s. What was the purpose of that? Go back to the previous names like Water Street etc.

It was in direct response to the civil rights movement and Brown vs. Board.

It had more to do with the advancement and spread of Lost Cause mythology which predates the civil rights movement by several decades.

DP: Of course Civil Rights efforts didn’t just start in the ‘60s or with Brown.

The modern civil rights movement is generally thought to have begun in the late 40s with the return of Black GIs from WWII, among other things. Lost Cause dates back to the end of the Civil War and was spread by southern newspapers. It really began to take hold in earnest in the 1880s/90s with the establishment of neo-confederacy organizations and publication of academic scholarship. The outcome was that almost all of the confederate statues in Richmond were erected before 1930. So no, the erection of these statues was not a reaction to the civil rights movement.

Actually, the early 1900’s included quite a bit of work and even progress in the area of civil rights — to the point where Woodrow Wilson deliberately intensified segregation throughout the Federal government and in DC. At least some confederate statues were put up at this point — yes, before 1930, in response to earlier successful efforts to gain civil rights, some of which were related to the return of Black soldiers from WWI.

I can’t speak to the Lost Cause side of things, or your dating of the “modern” civil rights movement. I do think, though, that it’s fair to say that support for the statues was —and is — correlated with civil rights gains. Perhaps Richmond followed a different pattern?

A majority of confederate monuments were put up between 1900 and 1920, in connection with a big push to suppress blacks. They weren't about preserving history, they were about sending a message. Many of the confederate monuments were cheaply mass-produced, and many were erected in towns that didn't even have much of a meaningful connection to the Confederacy.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/confederate-statues/

Sorry but while obviously they were racist and it was an era of lynching, the driving factor was Lost Cause mythology.
https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/06/how-the-lost-cause-myth-led-to-confederate-monument-fever/

But the Lost Cause didn't just spring up out of nowhere. It appealed to people who were threatened by progress Blacks were making.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Virginia has a long history of being a southern state and has a deep history with southern culture and ties to the confederacy. Northern Virginia in particular, with the Arlington Cemetery’s connection with Robert E Lee, whom led the Army of Northern Virginia, and the wide spread usage of confederates like Stonewall Jackson High School in PWCS and Robert E Lee High School in FCPS seems to have continually played a part in modern Virginia history throughout the state. Not to mention highways and streets dedicated to Confederates and segregationists like Robert E Lee and Harry Byrd still remain.

This unique attatchment to our history seems to be most or entirely prevalent in Virginia as opposed to DC or Maryland, and has never been a problem for the past century to half a century, through progressive movements and such. However, ever since the slain of George Floyd and the riots in 2020, there seems to have been a new attempt to pit the blame on the “monuments” that apparently glorize these views, and to radically erase them from history and forget about them once and for all. I seem to check google maps and am seemingly forced to learn new road names Like Langston Blvd in Arlington on a weekly basis. From my perspective, being a native of Fauquier county in southern country Virginia and spending lots of time in rural Loudoun and Prince William county, it’s a great change to what I’m used to.

Why the call for action now? Are we really suppose the blame people whom lived in an era where slavery and segregation was an unarguable stance that was unanimous among all politicians? What good does it really do, as it seemingly hasn’t seen a decrease in any sort of statistic that they intended to target. Do you support such action against these historical landmarks? Would love to know what the general consensus is, especially from other Virginians.

What do you not understand? The US made a huge mistake leaving this crap up.

Virginia is going backwards and this crap doesn't help.

OP you are an idiot for posting something so dumb.

Please leave the country and move to Russia. We don't need any more seditionists in the US.

[Anonymous]

I’m from out West. The Civil War isn’t a thing out there. I was shocked and disgusted that streets (Lee Highway) were named after the traitorous Confederate losers. Get with modern times hillbillies!

[Anonymous]

I'm from the South, my ancestors were Confederates and slave owners, and they lost their war.

They do not deserve statutes or anything named after them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m from out West. The Civil War isn’t a thing out there. I was shocked and disgusted that streets (Lee Highway) were named after the traitorous Confederate losers. Get with modern times hillbillies!

I'm from out West too. I was like WTF and then just kept driving down the road like everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These statues are the OG Virtue Signaling

And nobody really knew about all of these statues until it became the latest pet project for the justice warriors.

Oh, nice try. A confederate statue was removed from my community per public request and discussion in 1988. Please feel free to explain how that is a “latest pet project” of anyone.

+1. I grew up in a town with one of these and everyone knew about it. For a while I lived on a street named for a Confederate and everyone knew that too. People aren't nearly as ignorant as PP wants them to be.

Which town, if I may ask ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine how I feel being a native Loudouner and having to deal with all this suburbanization and yankee transplants becoming the majority. Wish I could go back to times where Northern Virginia still retained some it’s dixie charm.

You should continue to fly your confederate flag so your neighbors know who you really are.

The Southern Flag is not racist. Here in rural western Loudoun/northern Fauquier, I frequently see individuals flying said flags to pride their heritageal geographic representation. It is great to see that parts of exurban Northern Virginia continues to retain its beautiful southern way of life; cowboy hats, twangy accents, and some sweet tea after a long day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These statues are the OG Virtue Signaling

And nobody really knew about all of these statues until it became the latest pet project for the justice warriors.

Oh, nice try. A confederate statue was removed from my community per public request and discussion in 1988. Please feel free to explain how that is a “latest pet project” of anyone.

+1. I grew up in a town with one of these and everyone knew about it. For a while I lived on a street named for a Confederate and everyone knew that too. People aren't nearly as ignorant as PP wants them to be.

That's because you grew up in a town with a confederate statue. Very few people live anywhere near one of those statues.

It's also not really a thing if you live in the North or out West. Maybe some woke people are wasting their time with this nonsense, but it's not on most peoples radar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These statues are the OG Virtue Signaling

And nobody really knew about all of these statues until it became the latest pet project for the justice warriors.

Oh, nice try. A confederate statue was removed from my community per public request and discussion in 1988. Please feel free to explain how that is a “latest pet project” of anyone.

+1. I grew up in a town with one of these and everyone knew about it. For a while I lived on a street named for a Confederate and everyone knew that too. People aren't nearly as ignorant as PP wants them to be.

Which town, if I may ask ?

Pittsboro, NC. It was removed a few years back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m from out West. The Civil War isn’t a thing out there. I was shocked and disgusted that streets (Lee Highway) were named after the traitorous Confederate losers. Get with modern times hillbillies!

You should visit Arizona. They have some great Confederate monuments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from out West. The Civil War isn’t a thing out there. I was shocked and disgusted that streets (Lee Highway) were named after the traitorous Confederate losers. Get with modern times hillbillies!

You should visit Arizona. They have some great Confederate monuments.

Because it was always about white supremacy. In Arizona it was making sure the Indians and Mexicans knew who was boss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine how I feel being a native Loudouner and having to deal with all this suburbanization and yankee transplants becoming the majority. Wish I could go back to times where Northern Virginia still retained some it’s dixie charm.

You should continue to fly your confederate flag so your neighbors know who you really are.

The Southern Flag is not racist. Here in rural western Loudoun/northern Fauquier, I frequently see individuals flying said flags to pride their heritageal geographic representation. It is great to see that parts of exurban Northern Virginia continues to retain its beautiful southern way of life; cowboy hats, twangy accents, and some sweet tea after a long day.

I have a song in honor of that proud heritage:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine how I feel being a native Loudouner and having to deal with all this suburbanization and yankee transplants becoming the majority. Wish I could go back to times where Northern Virginia still retained some it’s dixie charm.

You should continue to fly your confederate flag so your neighbors know who you really are.

The Southern Flag is not racist. Here in rural western Loudoun/northern Fauquier, I frequently see individuals flying said flags to pride their heritageal geographic representation. It is great to see that parts of exurban Northern Virginia continues to retain its beautiful southern way of life; cowboy hats, twangy accents, and some sweet tea after a long day.

That flag is not the "Southern" flag - it is the flag of the Confederacy and nothing else. Heritage? At 4 years, the Confederacy didn't even last as long as a can of tuna. https://foodsguy.com/canned-tuna-bad/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from out West. The Civil War isn’t a thing out there. I was shocked and disgusted that streets (Lee Highway) were named after the traitorous Confederate losers. Get with modern times hillbillies!

You should visit Arizona. They have some great Confederate monuments.

This is correct. It is bizarre actually that you can travel in rural areas in Western states and see Confederate battle flag bumper stickers. There are also several right-wing groups in the west, such as the group that took over the wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon that frequently display the Confederate battle flag at their rallies.