Debate over US Confederate monuments intensifies

These people attempting to erase History are going to keep poking the beehive until there are far more serious repercussions.

Don't we have better things to worry about..erasing our history both good and bad takes away from "us" as a nation and people. Educate people about what these statues represent and maybe we can avoid this school yard bullshit..

I find it ironic how we are tearing down a statue of Lee while at the same time touting the principles of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves along with other founding fathers. One in particular was George Washington. While Jefferson and Washington are iconic fixtures in American history they both owned hundreds of slaves.

Highlighting to a double standard

While Washington is revered as an American hero, Lee's legacy as a Confederate General has rallied the masses in efforts to remove and rename places that once bestowed, if not with honor, at least serve as a place marker as a historical figure in our history. What is interesting in all this is that Washington wife's, Martha, was once married to Daniel Parke Custis. Daniel Curtis died in 1757 making Martha a wealthy widow which included a number of plantations and hundreds of slaves. Two years latter George and Martha were married at the 'White House Plantation'. While Martha and George didn't have any children of their own, Martha had four children with Daniel. One of which would bear Martha a Grandson, George Washington Parke Custis. Martha and Washington ended up adopting and raising GW as their son. Prior to Lee taking up residence at Arlington House - which happens to be on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery - it was built by George Washington Custis via slave labor. To make matters more complicated Robert E Lee married none other than George Washington Custis's daughter - the only surviving child of George Washington Custis - Mary Anna Randolph Custis. She was in fact Lee's third cousin. Mary's mother and Robert E Lee's mother were second cousins. Lee's oldest son, George Washington Custis Lee, was named after Mary's father George Washington Custis. To add some irony Curtis Lee was born at Ft Monroe, VA, the same fort that was used to hold Jefferson Davis after he was captured.

Lee's northern nemesis Grant owned a slave as well.

While I get the reasoning behind many wanting to remove and rename things associated with the Confederacy the roots of slavery and prejudice run much deeper than just the Civil War. The reality is that the fountainhead of bigotry isn't the confederate flag, statues or really anything from our past - its the result of present-day ignorance.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_(plantation)