Who's Name Is Still Worthy of a Monument?

[In the Corn]

So locally there is discussion of changing the name of schools named after a few rather important people in American history.

Currently, James Monroe and Patrick Henry are the two people in question. Minneapolis recently renamed Lake Calhoun because Calhoun was a slave owner, as were Monroe and Henry.

What makes Washington an Jefferson, at this point, worthy, but not these three others?

[Kevin Seitzer]

Name it B-Fly High and he will bestride it like a colossus.

[TranaGreg]

Name it B-Fly High and he will bestride it like a colossus.

:dropsmic:

fixed.

[cardboardbox]

So locally there is discussion of changing the name of schools named after a few rather important people in American history.

Currently, James Monroe and Patrick Henry are the two people in question. Minneapolis recently renamed Lake Calhoun because Calhoun was a slave owner, as were Monroe and Henry.

What makes Washington an Jefferson, at this point, worthy, but not these three others?

I eagerly await the day that we are renaming Washington DC and Washington state.

[B-Fly]

Name it B-Fly High and he will bestride it like a colossus.

LOL. That's what I get for being off line for three days.

I think pulling the names of former presidents and founding fathers from monuments is a waste of time and effort better devoted to other things. What's more important is how the history is being taught. If you're not teaching the failures and missed opportunities and even the moral hypocrisy of early American leaders, rather than just presenting their positive writings and accomplishments, then you're doing a disservice to history and education.

[Redbirds Fan]

I don't put Calhoun in the same boat with Monroe and Patrick Henry.

Calhoun was an ardent proponent of slavery at a time our country was about to be plunged into war. He believed in the moral rightness of slavery and the inherent inferiority of the black race.

Monroe and Henry held slaves, as did virtually all men of means in their day. Their writings make clear, however, their deep misgivings about the institution of slavery and whether it could be rationalized within the concepts of morality and humanity.

A similar analysis applies to Washington and Jefferson, along with the added factor that they (like Monroe and unlike Calhoun) were U.S. Presidents.

In short, Calhoun is not reviled in some quarters simply because he was a slave owner, but because he was a cruel and racist individual who was virulently in favor of maintaining the slavery system, no matter the cost in American lives.

Now, whether being a slave owner disqualifies someone per se is a separate question for debate, but it is a simple task to sort out Calhoun from the remainder of the group. He is the clear outlier based upon his words and deeds which went beyond his status as a slave owner.

[chancellor]

I was going to post a Sesame Street "One of these is not like the other" song video, but Redbirds Fan summed it up far better.

So, ITC, are these ideas coming from the Edina school district, per chance?

[Gregg]

No one gets a monument.

All fall short.

[Hornsby]

I was going to post a Sesame Street "One of these is not like the other" song video, but Redbirds Fan summed it up far better.

So, ITC, are these ideas coming from the Edina school district, per chance?

If I may be so bold as to answer for ITC...

South Minneapolis is a bastion of Rain Barrell liberals, wringing their hands over the latest (or oldest) perceived injustice. So these fine people decided that the name of the lake MUST be changed, and after much wrangling through the Park Board, County Commissioners, even the DNR, they got the name changed to Lake Bde Maka Ska...rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it? Of course, they seem to have forgotten about Calhoun Boulevard, Calhoun Beach Club, Calhoun Tower...

[In the Corn]

If I may be so bold as to answer for ITC...

South Minneapolis is a bastion of Rain Barrell liberals, wringing their hands over the latest (or oldest) perceived injustice. So these fine people decided that the name of the lake MUST be changed, and after much wrangling through the Park Board, County Commissioners, even the DNR, they got the name changed to Lake Bde Maka Ska...rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it? Of course, they seem to have forgotten about Calhoun Boulevard, Calhoun Beach Club, Calhoun Tower...

Yeah, this would sum it up for me. The other two are from the two largest public school districts in our state.

No one gets a monument.

All fall short.

Totally agree, but not reality, so we have to deal with where the world is at in this kerfuffle.

[Gregg]

Yeah, this would sum it up for me. The other two are from the two largest public school districts in our state.



Totally agree, but not reality, so we have to deal with where the world is at in this kerfuffle.

Ok then, the lesser of evils...wait...

[Redbirds Fan]

If I may be so bold as to answer for ITC...

South Minneapolis is a bastion of Rain Barrell liberals, wringing their hands over the latest (or oldest) perceived injustice. So these fine people decided that the name of the lake MUST be changed, and after much wrangling through the Park Board, County Commissioners, even the DNR, they got the name changed to Lake Bde Maka Ska...rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it? Of course, they seem to have forgotten about Calhoun Boulevard, Calhoun Beach Club, Calhoun Tower...

Dude, I don't know if you are being fake sarcastic or for real, but slavery (and the beating of slaves) was a real injustice, not a "perceived" one.

Debate if we will whether any slave owner should have a monument, but enough of this false equivalency between rat bastards like Calhoun/heroes of the Confederacy on the one hand and Washingon/Jefferson/etc. on the other.

[Mithrandir]

I think I should get a statue outside of the library where I work!!

[Hornsby]

Dude, I don't know if you are being fake sarcastic or for real, but slavery (and the beating of slaves) was a real injustice, not a "perceived" one.

Debate if we will whether any slave owner should have a monument, but enough of this false equivalency between rat bastards like Calhoun/heroes of the Confederacy on the one hand and Washingon/Jefferson/etc. on the other.

Of course slavery was and is an injustice, it's still rampant world wide...what I was referring to, and didn't make myself clear, was the "injustice" of having to change the name of the lake, but ignoring everything else that was named after Calhoun. My apologies for lack of clarity...