Museum Director Proud as Robert E. Lee Statue Secretly Melts.
The American Left’s Secret War on History: Museum Director Gloats as Robert E. Lee Statue Is Melted Down
The American left’s relentless and self-righteous assault on history continues, hidden from public view. According to The Washington Post, a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, once standing in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been melted down as part of the “Swords Into Plowshares” project.
The leaders of the project celebrated the destruction of the statue, which occurred at an undisclosed location on Saturday.
Andrea Douglas, the executive director of Charlottesville’s African American Heritage Center, watched with delight as the statue melted away.
“Well, they can’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again,” Douglas exclaimed. “There will be no tape for that.”
Jalane Schmidt, a professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, is one of the organizers of the “Swords Into Plowshares” project along with Douglas.
“We want to transform something that has been toxic in the Charlottesville community,” Schmidt stated, as reported by NPR. “We want to transform it into a piece of art that the community can be proud of, and gather around and not feel excluded or intimidated.”
Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee statue has met its end, in a 2,250-degree furnace.
The divisive Confederate monument, the focus of the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in 2017, was secretly melted down and will become a new piece of public art.
More on the process:… pic.twitter.com/XatZUfvku3
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 26, 2023
The statue of Lee gained national attention during the clashes between extremist groups in the summer of 2017. These clashes involved despicable neo-Nazis and their ideological allies on one side, and detestable antifa and Black Lives Matter activists and their ideological allies on the other side.
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Amidst the overwhelming hatred, the voices of reason that sought to understand or explain the meaning of the statue were drowned out.
One of the main issues lies in the revisionist histories of the Civil War.
As a former professor specializing in early U.S. history, I can confidently say that the Confederacy fought primarily to defend the institution of slavery. The historical evidence leaves no room for doubt, with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens’ 1861 “Corner Stone” speech serving as a clear example.
Furthermore, the post-Civil War Southern memoirs and mythology played a significant role in whitewashing the origins of the war. In an effort to promote national reconciliation, the Southern cause was reframed as a defense of “states’ rights.”
It is also important to recognize that the rise of Confederate statues in the early 20th century coincided with the triumph of racial segregation.
Ignoring these historical truths weakens one’s position. However, the gleeful destruction of the Lee statue is a disturbing episode.
It seems that those who destroyed it only saw the meaning attached to it by early 20th-century segregationists. But Robert E. Lee was not Nathan Bedford Forrest.
In fact, in April 1861, before Virginia’s secession, President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee command of Union forces. Lee declined, stating that he could not fight against his home state.
“If Virginia stands by the old Union,” Lee wrote in his resignation letter from the U.S. Army, “so will I.”
“But if she secedes (though I do not believe in secession as a constitutional right, nor that there is sufficient cause for revolution), then I will follow my native State with my sword, and, if need be, with my life.”
Therefore, Lee cannot be considered a fervent defender of slavery. In fact, evidence suggests that he opposed slavery on moral grounds and likely freed most of his slaves before the war.
In light of all this, have we lost the ability to discern? Can there be any doubt that Lee acted out of a sense of duty? Even if we disagree with his decision, can we question his primary motive?
Is there something about Lee that preserves an aspect of Southern heritage worth celebrating?
Unfortunately, such questions are not allowed. Nuance threatens the moral certainty that radicals crave. Destruction is their preferred method, as it makes them feel morally superior.
In the summer of 2020, we witnessed Marxist BLM radicals reenacting China’s Cultural Revolution. They defaced or destroyed anything that represented our shared history, regardless of its significance.
It would be easier to sympathize with the removal of Confederate monuments if we hadn’t also seen the radicals’ destruction of statues depicting George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and even the all-black 54th Massachusetts regiment.
The self-righteousness displayed by Douglas and Schmidt as they melted down the Lee statue reveals a different meaning than the one they claim. Schmidt envisioned turning the melted statue into “a piece of art” that would not exclude or intimidate anyone.
Ironically, the original Confederate statues were erected by segregationists who sought to exclude and intimidate. It seems that Schmidt and others fail to see the same hatred in those who target the monuments. Perhaps they were too busy patting themselves on the back to notice.
Alternatively, they may have sympathized with the Maoist frenzy of 2020. Either way, they failed to differentiate between one Confederate statue and another, and they neglected to consider that these statues may hold different meanings for different people.
Some might call that bigotry.
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The post Museum Director Gloats as Robert E. Lee Statue Is Melted Down in Secret appeared first on The Western Journal.
What are the potential consequences of erasing historical artifacts, such as the Robert E. Lee statue, on society’s understanding of the past?
The recent melting down of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, highlights the American left’s ongoing assault on history. This destructive act serves to erase a part of our nation’s past without any consideration for the valuable lessons that history provides.
The statue, which was part of the “Swords Into Plowshares” project, was celebrated by the project’s leaders as a transformation from something deemed toxic to a piece of art that the community can be proud of. While their intentions may be noble, this act disregards the importance of preserving historical artifacts and the complex narratives they represent.
Andrea Douglas, the executive director of Charlottesville’s African American Heritage Center, watched with delight as the statue melted away. Her exclamation of “they can’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again” reflects a vindictive approach to history, where destruction is valued over understanding and reconciliation.
Jalane Schmidt, a professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia and one of the project’s organizers, stated that their goal was to create art that the community can gather around without feeling excluded or intimidated. While inclusivity and representation are important, this should not come at the cost of erasing history. By dismantling a statue that served as a reminder of our nation’s past, the project perpetuates a dangerous trend of rewriting history to fit a particular narrative.
The statue of Robert E. Lee gained national attention during the clashes between extremist groups in 2017. While these clashes were undeniably disgraceful, they should not serve as a justification for eradicating historical monuments. History is complex and multifaceted, and removing statues creates a narrow view of the past that fails to acknowledge the struggles, triumphs, and mistakes of previous generations.
Instead of erasing history, we should strive to have informed conversations about our past, even when it is uncomfortable. It is through understanding and grappling with history that we can learn from our mistakes and ensure a more inclusive and tolerant society.
The American left’s secret war on history, exemplified by the melting down of the Robert E. Lee statue, should be a wake-up call for all Americans. We must resist the urge to erase uncomfortable parts of our history and instead embrace the opportunity to learn and grow from them. History should be preserved, studied, and discussed, not melted down and hidden away. Only through an honest examination of our past can we build a better future.
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