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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& #39;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">https://www.nps.gov/mima/lear...
Well it’s 3 AM and this thread has morphed into a 2000 word essay so stay tuned I guess
