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I think the point of taking down certain statues or renaming certain buildings isn’t to “cancel” important historical figures and pretend they never existed, but to properly prioritize their history. 1/
Students in America can go their entire education without truly reckoning with the fact that America would not be the world power it is today without the large-scale oppression and extermination of indigenous and enslaved people. 2/
This is because we’ve iconized figures like confederate generals through statues instead of understanding them as human beings who helped uphold systems of oppression. 3/
Thomas Carlyle’s “great man” theory of history isn’t compatible with a 21st (or, arguably, even a 20th) century understanding of our world, so why is it still such an integral part of our approach to US history and national identity? 4/
As a result, lots of folks born in the United States aren't equipped with the tools they need to understand our national narrative, one that is far too complex to be told by something as reductive as a statue. That’s what history and literature is for. 5/fin
Addendum: why do statues like the Minute Man in Concord stand this test? He symbolizes both a multifaceted movement and a group of people united towards a worthy cause. That’s much more representative of American history than Thomas Carlyle’s “great man.” https://www.nps.gov/mima/learn/historyculture/the-minute-man-statue-by-daniel-chester-french.htm
Well it’s 3 AM and this thread has morphed into a 2000 word essay so stay tuned I guess
