Kevin Cuneo: Civil War still rages over monuments

How you view history determines what statues and memorials are falling victim to revisionist history. A 10-volume account of Lincoln’s presidency was written about thirty years after the war. A hit movie that still plays to this day is the still popular “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell. In 1988 students protested the name of the dormitory on the Peabody campus of Vanderbilt University because they said it was offensive to black students.

Key Takeaways:

• Kevin Cuneo, recalls visiting Virginia and a monument raised to commemorate the Battle of Fredericksburg, in 1999.
• A guide, dressed in period costume, gave a talk, detailing the dispute as having to do with issues regarding states rights, later describing slavery as an ancillary element.
• The author notes that the event, along with the forced removal of many war monuments, can be regarded by some as attempts at revisionist history.

“Some might argue that the statues and other memorials around the country are falling victim to revisionist history, but it depends on how you view history.”