Letter: Where does it stop?
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 29, 2018
- The Confederate Memorial statue of Fame, the winged muse holding a fallen soldier, was dedicated in 1909 by the Hoke Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It was a fundraising project that was a decade in the making. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.
What if we remove or move the statue “Fame?” Where does it stop? Do we change the names of all of the streets in Salisbury that were named for former Confederates or were named for those who supported the Confederacy?
What about the building where Andrew Jackson studied law? Do we remove it? Why not? Jackson was responsible for the removal of many Native Americans to Oklahoma, and that was done in violation of a Supreme Court decision. “John Marshal has made his decision, now let him enforce it!”
Do we remove or change the Stars and Stripes, the current United States flag? Why not? Slavery lasted much longer under the Stars and Stripes than it did under any Confederate banner.
Be careful how you interpret history. Were the former Confederates traitors? If so, where in the 1861 U.S. Constitution did it say a state could not leave the Union?
Think about our history, and let us all discuss it in a peaceful manner. Let us study and discuss our history, but let us always remember that history is in our past. We cannot change it, but we can use it to keep from making mistakes in the future. God help us all.
— Gordon Correll
Salisbury