Stealthy removal on UT (Converse, Howe: schools, gated, live)
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The statues are headed to a museum right on campus! Part of an entire exhibit about George Littlefield and his whole (wacky) notion about the South Mall looking forever southwards (it is no accident that UT has no North Mall) and the commission of the statues etc. There will be much MORE historical context there and their part in UT's history will be clearer.
The statues are headed to a museum right on campus! Part of an entire exhibit about George Littlefield and his whole (wacky) notion about the South Mall looking forever southwards (it is no accident that UT has no North Mall) and the commission of the statues etc. There will be much MORE historical context there and their part in UT's history will be clearer.
That is better than the fate of the ones from around the country that are all over the news.
No one is abolishing history, geez! There WILL be a plaque next to them in the museum, I am pretty sure. The 'history' that is being 'abolished' (although even that is not true at all) is the history of oppressing black Americans by placing monuments to slavery. What link does General Lee have to UT? Or Johnston or Reagan, for that matter?
And this move was done with pretty wide-spread support, I would guess. So, you don't want the government taking down your statues (which they haven't, I am pretty sure Paxton and Abbot are pissed)? But you are fine telling people they HAVE to have their statues? How is that not the flip-side and also Orwellian? The government creating a false focal point of unimportant people?
Whose citizen's rights have been jettisoned by taking them down? And whose are being jettisoned by leaving them up?
Yep - Fenves is a pretty smart dude. Denied the goober gomers & antifa nutcases the chance to riot on TV. I'm sure local media are disappointed too.
Quote:
Dear Longhorns,
Last week, the horrific displays of hatred at the University of Virginia and in Charlottesville shocked and saddened the nation. These events make it clear, now more than ever, that Confederate monuments have become symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism.
After the Charleston, South Carolina, church shooting in June 2015, and with the urging of students, I formed a task force of faculty, students, alumni and university leaders to evaluate six statues on UT's Main Mall that included depictions of four military and political leaders of the Confederacy. The task force presented five options, ranging from the installation of contextual materials to the removal of some or all of the statues. At that time, I decided to move the statues of Jefferson Davis and, for symmetry, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. The Davis statue has since been restored and presented at UT’s Dolph Briscoe Center for American History in a scholarly exhibition about the Littlefield Fountain and the six Main Mall statues.
During the past several days, I have talked with student leaders, students, faculty members, staff members and alumni to listen to their views after the revelatory events in Charlottesville. I also revisited the very thorough 2015 task force report. After considering the original task force report and with the events of the past week and my discussions with the campus community in mind, I decided to relocate the remaining four statues.
Early this morning, the statues depicting Robert E. Lee, Albert Sidney Johnston, John Reagan and James Stephen Hogg were removed from the Main Mall. The Lee, Johnston and Reagan statues will be added to the collection of the Briscoe Center for scholarly study. The statue of James Hogg, governor of Texas (1891-1895), will be considered for re-installation at another campus site.
The University of Texas at Austin is a public educational and research institution, first and foremost. The historical and cultural significance of the Confederate statues on our campus — and the connections that individuals have with them — are severely compromised by what they symbolize. Erected during the period of Jim Crow laws and segregation, the statues represent the subjugation of African Americans. That remains true today for white supremacists who use them to symbolize hatred and bigotry.
The University of Texas at Austin has a duty to preserve and study history. But our duty also compels us to acknowledge that those parts of our history that run counter to the university’s core values, the values of our state and the enduring values of our nation do not belong on pedestals in the heart of the Forty Acres.
We do not choose our history, but we choose what we honor and celebrate on our campus. As UT students return in the coming week, I look forward to welcoming them here for a new academic year with a recommitment to an open, positive and inclusive learning environment for all.
Hook ’em,
President Fenves Signature
Gregory L. Fenves
President
Bear in mind, those statues were erected in the 1920s decades after UT was founded - supposedly to promote the idea of reconciliation between the North & South, but coincided with the establishment of the tyrannical Jim Crow laws. Read up on the history of the feud between two early UT benefactors, Colonel Littlefield & Colonel Brackenridge.
Last edited by ScoPro; 08-21-2017 at 09:11 AM..
Reason: Can't spell
Yep - Fenves is a pretty smart dude. Denied the goober gomers & antifa nutcases the chance to riot on TV. I'm sure local media are disappointed too.
As an aside, his 'news release' is impressive compared to today's norm - it is concise, covers all the basic points, and doesn't try to address the inane arguments. The ability to write and structure a 'thought' is an underappreciated skill. Also a skill I don't have, unfortunately, but at least I am not a public figure .
Oh, and planned it the same day as an eclipse, good distraction .
Yep - Fenves is a pretty smart dude. Denied the goober gomers & antifa nutcases the chance to riot on TV. I'm sure local media are disappointed too.
Bear in mind, those statues were erected in the 1920s decades after UT was founded - supposedly to promote the idea of reconciliation between the North & South, but coincided with the establishment of the tyrannical Jim Crow laws. Read up on the history of the feud between two early UT benefactors, Colonel Littlefield & Colonel Brackenridge.
I agree with your take (& half of Fenves comments).
But just spit balling here as I contemplate the possible slippery slope:
- Washington owned Slaves. Is his statue next?
- The Bible discusses slavery (& is a lightning rod for some). If after lots of discussion & protests, Do we get rid of Guttenberg Bible?
- TJ slept with one of his slaves & Madison also a slave holder. Do we take remove the Declaration of Independence & the Constitution from all schoolbooks, history classes, or any other part of our reality?
I've read some interesting articles the past week about the history of Confederate statues and monuments, the vast number of them that exist, and how that happened.
At first, one of the reasons was daughters, wives and mothers wanted public remembrance of their lost fathers, husbands and sons. So, many were really a way for individuals to remember other individuals, not necessarily a commentary on the war or its reasons, just remembering lost souls.
Then, in one of the articles, (I can't remember the source) it explained how the "soldier" statue that a company (from Connecticut I think) marketed in both the North and the South was identical in every way except on one the belt buckle said "US" and on the other it said "CS". Every other detail was identical in every way and they marketed and sold these bronze statues to hundreds of small towns all over the north and south for about $400, which was affordable enough, and they would go up in front of libraries, court houses, churches, etc. Again, as a way for people to remember people, not a celebration of war or a cause.
Later as bronze and copper got cheaper and the technology to make larger statues and monuments got better, even bigger more elaborate things were built. And yes, eventually many were built and installed as a romantic lookback to the Confederacy and its key players.
Finally, a point with which I agree, is that because of the passing of time, these things could have meant or represented something entirely different to the people who walked past and saw them 150 years ago than they did 75 years ago, and than they do today to a UT student walking past (with their nose in their phone and probably not even noticing)
I do think the heavy handed righteousness can be counter-productive, even if it is 100% purely justifiable logic and righteousness. So many of the symbols and meanings have been co-opted and repurposed by others, that it's not fair to ascribe the worst possible meaning or intention to every opponent of removal.
I've read some interesting articles the past week about the history of Confederate statues and monuments, the vast number of them that exist, and how that happened.
At first, one of the reasons was daughters, wives and mothers wanted public remembrance of their lost fathers, husbands and sons. So, many were really a way for individuals to remember other individuals, not necessarily a commentary on the war or its reasons, just remembering lost souls.
Then, in one of the articles, (I can't remember the source) it explained how the "soldier" statue that a company (from Connecticut I think) marketed in both the North and the South was identical in every way except on one the belt buckle said "US" and on the other it said "CS". Every other detail was identical in every way and they marketed and sold these bronze statues to hundreds of small towns all over the north and south for about $400, which was affordable enough, and they would go up in front of libraries, court houses, churches, etc. Again, as a way for people to remember people, not a celebration of war or a cause.
Later as bronze and copper got cheaper and the technology to make larger statues and monuments got better, even bigger more elaborate things were built. And yes, eventually many were built and installed as a romantic lookback to the Confederacy and its key players.
Finally, a point with which I agree, is that because of the passing of time, these things could have meant or represented something entirely different to the people who walked past and saw them 150 years ago than they did 75 years ago, and than they do today to a UT student walking past (with their nose in their phone and probably not even noticing)
I do think the heavy handed righteousness can be counter-productive, even if it is 100% purely justifiable logic and righteousness. So many of the symbols and meanings have been co-opted and repurposed by others, that it's not fair to ascribe the worst possible meaning or intention to every opponent of removal.
Steve
I generally agree, but would add the following observations:
- I do think each monument must be taken on its own merit and with consideration for its location and meaning. If there were statues on UT campus that involved people that were both tied to the confederacy but also individuals tied to UT, I would be much less inclined to oppose them. If RE Lee was involved in some university or whatever, go ahead and put a statue up (but maybe not in uniform?);
- Timing is key, as well - these statues at UT were installed in the 1930s at a time when there was some push-back against segregation, and very clearly represent individual civil war 'heroes', not some generally representative soldier. They definitely fall into the 'romantic look-back' - to a time when the white man enslaved the black man or, at the very least, he was 'kept in his place'.
- Conversely, I do understand that the statues do represent 'I am my own person' to a lot of people; i.e. just because Washington D.C. says so doesn't mean I have to agree with it. It is also retains a subtle (or not so subtle) hint of violent opposition, if the 'need' arise. I am actually okay with that, I think, but the problem is that the previous opposition that those figures also allude to is the opposition to freedom.
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