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Why Did We Stop Now?
- And, for some reason, all is now quiet on the “must take down offensive monuments front.” So, now that many “offensive” Civil War memorials have been taken down in several of our “united” states ,we ponder, ‘is society any better because of it?’ Did the ones we took down make our country a better place? Do all of the ones that remain up make our country a worse place? Why did we put them up in the first place? Why did we take some of them down? Where is the outcry to take the rest down?
How many remain? Ah, take a look. The research done for that recent AL.com article shows 30 of the 50 United States still have one or more tributes, monuments, or statues depicting a Confederate memorial of some sort. The list is led by Virginia where 242 still stand upright. 242! In all there are approximately 1728 spread across the aforementioned 30 states. 1728!
The vast majority stand south of the famous Mason-Dixon line. But not all of them do. One or more adorn public land in Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and shocker of shockers, Washington D.C. But, but, how can that be? Seems like we agree to disagree?
Apparently, we couldn’t even agree in the mid 1700’s where Pennsylvania and Maryland began and ended. It’s how we first came to know Mr. Mason and Mr. Dixon. A World Atlas excerpt follows.
The Mason-Dixon Line became widely known as the symbolic divider between the Northern and Southern states during America’s Civil War; in short, it divided slave states from non-slave states.
However, the original Mason–Dixon Line was actually a demarcation (or border) line between Pennsylvania and Maryland, in an effort to settle an 80-year land dispute between the two colonies. It also included the western border of present-day Delaware, as it was then a part of the Pennsylvania colony.
The ongoing dispute between the Penn family of Pennsylvania, and the Calvert family of Maryland over the border between the two colonies finally erupted into war in 1730, one known as Cresap’s War. After years of conflict, England’s King George II negotiated a cease-fire in 1738.
Shortly thereafter, the Penns and Calverts commissioned two Englishman, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, to mark the official border, and solve their property dispute.
Mason (an astronomer) and Dixon (a surveyor) used celestial measurements to form an accurate 233-mile-long line (or boundary) between Pennsylvania and Maryland, and the 83 mile-long between Maryland and Delaware. The project took nearly 5 years.
After we solved where Maryland ended and Pennsylvania began, the Mason-Dixon line was extended, as mentioned above, to mark the south (slave states) from the north(non slave states). So, after the war and over time, well over 2000 memorials were erected to honor the bravery, leadership, or passion of those who fought (and/or died) for the Confederacy. Even more were erected nationwide to honor the Union side of the very deadly combat. The Confederate ones were placed in at least 30 states. There were only 36 states ratified into our United States by the end of the war in 1865.
Can’t you imagine the dedication ceremonies back then? They likely looked and sounded just like the ones we have now. The Star Spangled Banner was played by the local high school band. Politicians stood up and thanked all for coming. They droned on about how important this moment was to memorialize those who came and died before us. A prayer was said for those who perished for what they thought was a good cause. People dutifully bowed their heads. The statue was unveiled. People clapped. Then, everyone ate a ham sandwich and drank a cup of punch. Work beckoned.
One hundred and fifty years later we decided that these monuments were actually a terrible reflection on our society even though 30 of 36 states erected them and celebrated them for what they were-symbols of what tore us apart and eventually made us stronger, one union, one United States of America.
And, what about those Union memorials. There are many thousands and they adorn every corner of this country. Should they be taken down? They honor Americans who displayed the same passion, leadership and bravery. They stood for what they believed to be the right thing. They fought and killed many thousands of US citizens who opposed the abolition of slavery. Slavery, mind you, was but one of a few other disagreements that never are mentioned nor discussed. The Union memorials were erected and celebrated for what they are-symbols of what tore us apart and eventually made us stronger, one union, one United States of America. Sound familiar?
U.S. women were granted the right to vote in 1919. The right was ratified as the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920. Just four years prior, in 1915, the US House of Representatives voted against the right to vote. Should any memorial for any US citizen or US government leader who opposed this cause be torn down? Or, maybe this discrimination doesn’t rise to the tear down level? There were even women back then who opposed having the right to vote!
In recent years incivility and unrest over jury verdicts or police actions has led to serious street violence and crime. A few have reached a level of violence where citizens have thrown rocks, or worse shot at and killed law officers they feel break the law, not uphold it. Should we have statues erected for the citizens cause? Should we have statues erected for the police cause? Both? Probably neither. But if we did, my guess is that in 150 years or less one side of the cause will have had their statues removed. Times change. Opinions change.
Heck, Mason and Dixon probably disagreed with one another. Can’t we all just get along? Obviously not. Or, better yet, can’t we all realize that what tears us apart can make us stronger if we are willing to recognize it, debate it, and learn from it?
History cannot be changed. History cannot be erased. History can teach. It’s time to learn.