Perspective 1: Jim Loewen, sociologist, historian, & author, 2017….

Question Answered step-by-step Perspective 1: Jim Loewen, sociologist, historian, & author, 2017…. Perspective 1: Jim Loewen, sociologist, historian, & author, 2017. (Slide 6) A year ago Montgomery County, Maryland, decided to remove its Confederate statue from its position of power, next to the courthouse in Rockville. Finally they have figured out where to put it: White’s Ferry. The father of the ferry’s current owner named his ferry for Confederate general Jubal Early because Early had a “rebellious, no surrender attitude.” It is certainly true that after the Civil War, Early never changed his attitude. He still defended slavery as appropriate for African Americans, since “The Creator of the Universe had stamped them, indelibly, with a different color and an inferior physical and mental organization.” He was an early proponent of the “Lost Cause” mythology and helped organize the Southern Historical Society to spread its biased views. The statue will be in good company. Former Washington Post journalist Eugene L. Meyer recently called it “as fitting a place as any.” Perspective 2: David Rotenstein, local historian, 2017. (Slide 7) Rockville’s Confederate statue is an artifact with a powerful message and tremendous cultural baggage. Now that message is controlled by an organization that has a ferryboat named for a Confederate general and the statue sits in a prominent space overlooking the ferry ramp where passengers disembark. It’s one of the first things people see entering Montgomery County from Loudoun County, Virginia. The Confederate statue went from a hidden space next to the county’s old courthouse to a highly visible space at a gateway to the county. It may not be “public” in terms of ownership but the new space renders the statue significantly more visible. Whereas in Rockville there was nothing ambiguous about who owned the statue and who controlled its message, at White’s Ferry it now occupies space that begs the questions: Who owns it, and what is its message?What are the consequences of transferring an artifact with Confederate symbolism to a private group who would control its location and the narrative attached to it? (slide 7) Your PerspectiveWas removing the statue the correct decision? Why or why not?  Should we rename streets named after Confederate soldiers? Why or why not?   History World History Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)