Will Stone Mountain Change?

For years there have been protests, clashes, economic boycotts, and proposals to change what one might call the Confederate Mt. Rushmore, Stone Mountain. Writers and bloggers alike (including me) have written pages to this controversial and gigantic Confederate Monument. Standing at nearly 1,700 ft. above sea level the mountain has a commanding presence in the

Confederate Monuments in the Upstate

There is obviously a lot of public excitement surrounding Confederate Monuments these days. As Kevin Levin recently posted on cwmemory, about seventy-six Confederate Monuments have been removed from public spaces by local citizens and governments. Calls for removal continue are ongoing in various parts of the country and these can be seen right here in

60 Minutes: Confederate Monuments

This stack of papers…..this stack of papers… I’m definitely one of those teachers. I love teaching; I hate grading papers. I’m sure there are more of us than not. Regardless, I keep giving writing assignments to my students. Call me crazy, but I’d rather see students reflect on what they learned rather than circle answers.

Fort Sanders Monument: Memorial for the Dead or Lost Cause Propaganda?

The national debate surrounding Confederate monuments came home for the city of Knoxville this past weekend. A planned rally took place in the city in support of a local monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers who died at the Battle of Fort Sanders. According to local news affiliate the Knoxville News Sentinel, the rally was relatively

Descendants of Alexander Stephens Speak Out

Over the past few weeks I’ve written a couple of posts concerning the issue of Confederate monuments. Two of those posts dealt with the perspectives of Robert E. Lee and the descendants of a few prominent Confederates. Well, I can add one more to the list: the descendants of Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the

‘sons’ of Confederate Veterans Speak Out on Confederate Monuments

Not to be confused with the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). After the very unfortunate events in Charlottesville, many have come to the forefront to express their concerns and views on Confederate monuments. Opinions have come in from all corners of the political spectrum as well as the historical and the heritage communities. Out of

Robert E. Lee Got it Right

Robert E. Lee is usually set upon a pedestal, both literally and figuratively, as an example of what one might call southern honor and manhood. His supporters typically whitewash his relationship with slavery in this portrayal of all things south opting to depict him as not a racist, just someone subjected to the time and practices which

Brief Comments on Monument Removal

Updates Below The news of the removal of various Civil War & Reconstruction monuments in New Orleans is certainly making its rounds. I have not devoted a lot of time or energy to commenting on the issue of monument removal thus far, outside of few statements on Facebook and Twitter. However, as someone who grew