Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
How Will We Preserve History Without Confederate Statues?

How Will We Preserve History Without Confederate Statues?

Last updated on: August 18, 2017 at 12:35 pm by Mary Pezzulo

How Will We Preserve History Without Confederate Statues? 2017-08-18T12:35:49-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

civil-war-74010_640

I have compiled a brief and non-exhaustive list of ways in which the United States can keep from erasing history, without maintaining unattractive bronze monuments to white supremacy on municipal land. Feel free to show it to your state representatives and congresspersons. No need to thank me.

1) Books.

2) Coffee table books. These are different from regular books because nobody ever reads the text in these, they just leave them out for company as a conversation piece. But sometimes people leaf through the illustrations in coffee table books, and nice big quality photographs are educational in their own way.

3) Board books. These are coffee table books for infants.

4) Documentaries. I particularly like the kind where trained actors read letters from actual historic persons as brownish cursive text is superimposed over a montage of old photos. It’s kind of like reading a book, but less taxing.

5) Museums. Museums are like documentaries, only you have to leave your house and go walk in front of the displays instead of displays flashing before your eyes. Some charge admission, so remember to bring money.

6) Staged reenactments. These can be lots of fun. It’s like Comic Con only with explosions, and everyone dresses up as the same fandom. Serious men who claim not to be geeks really come alive at reenactments. It’s great.

7) Historic replica villages, with actual miniature farms and blacksmiths and such. Kind of like the Renaissance Fair, but more intense. I once went to an historic replica Civil War village in Ohio, where a bearded man in a blousey shirt was making authentic replica Ohio Union recruitment posters with an authentic replica printing press. He said that once, some Southern tourists visiting Ohio came into his shop and went ballistic. The Southern man literally foamed at the mouth with anger. The Southern woman shouted “They killed our boys!” and had to be escorted from the shop. These people are an example of what happens when you get all your history lessons from Confederate statues.

8) Taking history courses at a community college.

9) Other statues– statues that preserve history more accurately. Statues of enslaved persons with scourged backs, women screaming as their infants are taken and sold, mutilations, torture. Statues of courageous Americans like Harriet Tubman who escaped slavery and then risked her life to rescue others from that horror. Statues of abolitionists and conductors on the Underground railroad. Real American heroes.

10) Video games.

You are welcome to expand the list in the comment section.

(image via Pixabay)

Previous Post

August 17, 2017

A Message From The Mother of a Child With Down's Syndrome

Next Post

August 19, 2017 If This Is Really About Honoring the Old South...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What tree were Adam and Eve told not to eat from?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Fig Tree Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Tree of Life Olive Tree