In the past month there’s been controversy surrounding statues of “questionable” figures and whether these individuals deserve monuments that pay homage to their achievements and the impact they’ve had on America. Some recognizable individuals in question include Robert E. Lee and Christopher Columbus, both of which have had profound impacts on American history. My group and I have compiled a list of criteria that we believe should be taken into account for an individual to have a statue or monument in their honor:
- Their historical significance/relevance (Has this person impacted American/world history?)
- How they went about impacting the world/America (Did they wage war or discover land or did they protest an injustice? etc,)
- How did their actions contribute to the world at large? (Did his/her action improve upon the rights of an oppressed people, or did he/she squash a revolution with the intention of keeping a group oppressed?
- How do we view them now? (Has our opinion of them changed? Were they misinterpreted at the time but are now thought of in a different way?)
Group members: Janin (Jay), Jade, Akeira, and Joseph
