Robert E. Lee's Final Meltdown
Clarification: The melting of the monument was carried out as part of the “Swords into Plowshares” project organized by Dr. Andrea Douglas and Dr. Jalane Schmidt.
This past Saturday, after multiple lawsuits and various other roadblocks, the Robert E. Lee monument that once stood in downtown Charlottesville was melted down in an undisclosed location. What remains will eventually be turned into a new public art exhibit.
Of all the Confederate monuments out there, my relationship with the Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson monuments in Charlottesville goes back the furthest. It was in Charlottesville that my interest in the Civil War blossomed and where I became interested specifically in monuments and the broader subject of Civil War memory.
As a high school history teacher I had the opportunity to teach electives on various aspects of the Civil War. I routinely led my students downtown to teach them how to analyze monuments and as a way to gain insight into the history of the Jim Crow era.
[For an overview of the relevant history of these monuments, I highly recommend “History Write Aright” by Brendan Wolfe as well as the PBS documentary, Unveiling: The Origins of Charlottesville’s Monuments.]
My focus and interest in these monuments was almost entirely as teaching tools. I saw my job as to teach my students how these monuments embodied the culture of the white South during the Jim Crow South at the beginning of the twentieth century, but I thought very little about how they were perceived by different members of my community.
That changed in the wake of the heinous murders committed by Dylann Roof in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. For the first time I was exposed to people who believed that the monuments were as much symbols of white supremacy now as in the past.
I listened closely to young activists like Zyahna Bryant, then a high school student, whose call for the monument’s removal led directly to this weekend’s melting of the Robert E. Lee monument.
As I shared in an article in The Atlantic back in 2017, my understanding of these monuments gradually shifted
The “Unite the Right” rally in August 2017 sealed the fate of all the city’s Confederate monuments. I will never forget watching the events unfold live from Boston and seeing some of my former students among the counter-protesters, who chose to stand up to the white supremacists rallying in defense of the Lee monument, which the city council voted to remove.
By the end of the day a young counter-protester named Heather Heyer had been murdered by a white nationalist.
The events of August 2017 didn’t simply lead directly to the removal of the monument, it also limited the conversation of under what conditions it might enjoy a second life.
A small number of Confederate monuments have ended up in museums or have been relocated to cemeteries and various other historic sites, but this was never really a possibility for the Lee monument.
The events of August 2017 are now indelibly stamped on the Lee monument. It would be irresponsible to hand over the monument to an organization that planned to display it for the public without proper contextualization. And even in a situation where the organization has the best of intentions, the memories of that awful day are still much too fresh.
Wounds still need to heal in Charlottesville, which is why I think the city made the right call in handing over the monument to the Jefferson School, run by Andrea Douglas. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Dr. Douglas on a number of occasions over the past few years. I especially enjoyed collaborating with Dr. Douglas and Dr. Jalane Schmidt, who now runs The Memory Project at the University of Virginia, on a tour of the city’s Confederate monuments.
I admire Douglas’s commitment to helping the community heal and the work she has done to educate residents about the history of its monuments.
While I don’t believe that melting down monuments down is an appropriate solution for other communities, it does seem to be a way to move forward for Charlottesville.
I love the idea of turning an objective that once caused so much pain and division turned into something that has the potential to bring everyone together.
Speaking as an observer (history buff and political science fiend) from 122 miles away, if this is the wish of those in Charlottsville, then so be it. I'm all for removal of these Lost War idols, though I wonder if melting them down is the best course.
When I walk through the Holocaust Museum here in DC, there is nothing that gets to me as much as the dental fillings and shoes of those who died in the death chambers.
If these Lost War idols are all melted down, who will know the scale at which racists tried to re-write history and intimidate Black ppl in their own hometowns? I like the idea of Confederate graveyards and museums so that those huge statues can serve to help teach what the Lost Cause attempted to do.
Friday thoughts ....
I love that idea, too!