How conservatives should approach Confederate monuments
On Aug. 28, the Virginia state legislature removed the last three Confederate monuments from Capitol Square, a park near the state Capitol in Richmond. Conservatives haven’t paid much attention to this story, aside from a handful of op-eds in right-leaning media, mostly opposing the decision. In this particular case, Virginia’s decision was the right one. Conservatives must rethink how they engage the Left on the issue of historical memory.
TL;DR
- Virginia's legislature removed the last three Confederate monuments from Capitol Square on August 28.
- Confederate monuments should be removed due to the Confederacy's aim to dismember the union for a wicked political project.
- Decisions on monument removal should be democratic, not through mob action.
- Statues should be moved to museums or historical sites, not destroyed.
- Sites of veneration should only honor figures deserving praise.
- Founders deserve admiration, while Confederate leadership does not.
- Conservatives should independently develop an approach to historical memory guided by their own moral judgments.