< Monuments Lesson

Alvin Pascual
Excerpt
​"History is mostly made up of a lot of unfortunate events. I don’t think people should always reminisce or feel remorse every time about the past, but it also doesn’t mean that they should forget it."


Vanessa Benitez
"As to start the Confederate States of America, also known as the Confederacy, was a group of 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1860. So, why is there a debate over Confederate monuments? Groups that oppose the removal of the monuments argue that eradicating the monuments effectively erases history. Some argue that these monuments are meant to celebrate Southern pride, while others believe these spaces should be preserved as reminders of the country's darker moments. But civil rights activists believe they serve as constant reminders of institutional racism, segregation and slavery.  The struggle over the country's memory of the Confederacy and slavery has seen these historical sites become a venue for confrontations between the far right and anti-fascists. This debate can last for months or even years, as I stated in the class discussion I am in between the two arguments, I think it all depends on perspective and point of view. As I learned in my Theory of Knowledge class (TOK), relativism states that there is no such thing as absolute truth therefore all truth has the same value. All arguments made by these opposite sides are all equal arguments, but I would say that monuments that could be removable should be moved to a museum specifically for them, in an environment where is a indoor public learning place and it's not in outdoor public display. I think that they should not be removed completely but they should be kept for those who value them and care about them, placing them in a museum would restrict the publicity that it has had.  I am not in either side but that could be a solution or a way both arguments can be satisfied." 


Cheyanne Chau
Excerpt
"People need to remember that the Confederacy and its beliefs were merely a segment of America’s history. It is natural for a society to have art and remnants that they represent themselves with and leave in order not to be forgotten. After all, if we decide to destroy art because it conveys feelings different to our own, then what is the purpose of creating art?"


Michael Green
Excerpt
"As for the Confederate monuments that were actually erected in order to symbolize white supremacy, these should be placed in a museum similar to the Holocaust museums of Germany, so that people can remember the actions that many people took in order to act upon their bigoted beliefs."


Dylan Howard
Excerpt
"Without these monuments our country would eventually push aside the tragedies  of the past, ignoring their lessons and allowing something else to tear our society apart once more. By keeping these monuments, we are faced with a constant feeling of responsibility. A feeling that we need to do better, we need to be better. For our own sake, and for those who suffered long before us."