Monument Fall in the USA: why protesters demand the demolition of historical monuments - ForumDaily
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Monument Fall in the USA: why protesters demand the demolition of historical monuments

The monument to the 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt has become the latest “victim” of the movement to remove monuments that symbolize colonial expansion and racial discrimination. The Museum of Natural History in New York has decided to demolish a bronze sculpture depicting Roosevelt on a horse, with African and Native Americans on foot next to him.

Photo: Shutterstock

Anil Korkut conducts excursions for tourists in New York. He supports removing the statue, which he calls "a textbook misrepresentation of racial equality."

“I think the authors of the monument did this on purpose. But there is an opinion that a white president cannot be equated with African and Native Americans. And, yes, if anyone is upset by this, then we do not worship monuments. Why not demolish it? - says Korkut.

But not everyone agrees with the plan to remove the monument. Among the opponents of the idea is New Yorker Joseph Bolanos.

“I think it’s terrible when you start destroying history and monuments... Times were different, things are different now,” Bolanos says, adding: “And we have to remember how we got to this point through history. Obviously, Stalin did the same thing before World War II in order to destroy history.”

Tourist Jennifer Mitchell shared the same opinion: “I think it’s very sad, you can’t judge those people by modern standards. He was a great leader and this monument does not demean anyone, they walk alongside him.”

In the case of Roosevelt, the problem lies precisely in this sculpture, says Eric Roachway, a historian and author of a book about the 26th president. According to him, this monument represents a certain racial hierarchy, and even a descendant of Roosevelt himself said that he would not want the president to be remembered that way.

“During his life, Theodore Roosevelt expressed, roughly speaking, two different versions of American nationalism. One was inclusive, it talked about Americans recognizing different people who were not then considered Americans. And that’s what we want to remember,” Roachway emphasizes. “He was also very supportive of colonialism and Western expansion, particularly the conquest of indigenous people by force.” I think the statue represents that.”

Another figure in American history that is causing more and more discussion in society is the navigator Christopher Columbus. For some, he is a pioneer, for others, he is an oppressor of the indigenous population and the initiator of the slave trade.

In some cities, demonstrators have, among other things, beheaded, defaced or pushed for the removal of monuments to Columbus, but in New York, Democratic politicians - Mayor De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo - have opposed it. Since then, the monument has been guarded by the police.

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In Washington, thanks to the police, a monument to President Andrew Jackson stood. Demonstrators who wanted to overthrow the monument right in front of the White House were dispersed. Activists say the seventh US president is a slave owner and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Native Americans.

Other demonstrations in a number of American cities ended with great success, where people demanded to dismantle the monuments to the American Confederate Army generals. In particular, this happened in North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Minnesota, Georgia, Virginia.

Lopez Matthews, a researcher at Howard University, explains the motivation of the demonstrators: “Nearly two hundred years have passed since the end of slavery, and we are still struggling with racism, police brutality, unequal treatment. And these Confederate monuments symbolize the past, but a fictitious past, because they embody the myth of the old South.”

The myth of the Old South is the idea that during slavery, plantations prospered and black slaves were happy and joyful. There are still many such monuments in many cities.

“Almost every southern state has a Confederate monument on the courthouse square,” said Sarah Beetem, a teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts. “These were often places where victims were lynched. Monuments are inextricably linked with this. And they cannot be viewed as anything other than government-sponsored white supremacy.”

Speaking to supporters in Oklahoma, President Donald Trump commented on the movement to remove the monuments: “A crazy bunch of radical leftists are trying to mutilate our history, desecrate our monuments, our beautiful monuments.”

Meanwhile, Democrats want to get rid of Confederate statues in the US Capitol, but Republicans vetoed the initiative. The Capitol houses two monuments to figures who made significant contributions to the history of each of the 50 states of America. Who exactly would represent them was decided by the states themselves. Of the hundred sculptures, 12 are monuments to the Confederates.

Core Booker, a Democratic senator, said: “Preserving these monuments is disrespectful to African Americans and the ideals of our nation.”

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In response, Republican Senator Roy Blunt said that "such action would violate our agreements with the states."

The U.S. Civil War began in 1861, when 13 states in the south of the country self-proclaimed the Confederation against the abolition of slavery. In the XNUMXth century, the Confederate flag and monuments to the generals of the army of the South became for many a symbol of opposition to the African American civil rights movement, a manifestation of the idea of ​​the superiority of the white race and racial inequality. And for many residents of southern America, the flag symbolizes pride in the heritage, freedom of each state and the memory of the American Civil War.

The original column is published on the website. Ukrainian service "Voices of America".

ForumDaily is not responsible for the content of blogs and may not share the views of the author. If you want to become the author of the column, send your materials to [email protected].

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