Commission’s actions didn’t rewrite history
The people who are so critical of the choice of the Manatee County Commission to remove the Confederate monument downtown seem to have missed the point. They seem to think that the goal has been to rewrite history.
In fact, presenting the reality of history is all important to those of us who want the statues gone. The reality of history must be provided in schools, libraries, museums and by other means.
No one learns history from a statue. The purpose of statues is to memorialize or venerate those depicted. It is essential that we learn about the horrors of history, but we should not venerate the perpetrators. Who would suggest that erecting a statue to Hitler would be a good thing since it would teach history? Those who fought against the Union were not heroes but rather traitors. If I took up arms against the U.S. government, I would be prosecuted for treason.
This is the “heritage” that the critics of the decision to remove the statue want preserved.
Thea Kelley
Holmes Beach
This story was originally published September 8, 2017 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Commission’s actions didn’t rewrite history."