President Trump has spoken out against the removal of Confederate statues across the country, but the descendants of those historical figures have largely supported the move.
President Trump has spoken out against the removal of Confederate statues across the country, but the descendants of those historical figures have largely supported the move.
The 54-year-old great-great-grandson of Gen. Robert E. Lee, named Robert E. Lee V, told CNN, “...if [local lawmakers] choose to take those statues down, fine.”
As CNN points out, “Gen. Robert E. Lee's bronze statue in Charlottesville was at the center of violent clashes last weekend between white supremacists -- who converged on a park...to oppose a plan to remove the statue -- and counterprotesters.”
Lee has also criticized the violence, telling Newsweek, “Our belief is that General Lee would not tolerate that sort of behavior either.”
He explained, “Times were very different then. We look at the institution of slavery, and it's absolutely horrendous.”
However, he added, “If you want to put statues of General Lee or other Confederate people in museums, that makes good sense."
Meanwhile, Jefferson Davis’ great-great-grandson, 68-year-old Bertram Hayes-Davis, has said that a statue of his ancestor which has been removed from New Orleans “is indicative of the problem of America, in that we’re reducing history to one sentence…”
Rather than being concerned about the fate of the statue itself, he expressed a desire for people to “understand the man,” notes the New York Times.
Jack Christian and Warren Christian, the descendants of Stonewall Jackson, on the other hand, had a much stronger response, writing in an open letter to officials in Richmond, Virginia, “As two of the closest living relatives to Stonewall, we are writing today to ask for the removal of his statue, as well as the removal of all Confederate statues from Monument Avenue.”
They argue, “They are overt symbols of racism and white supremacy, and the time is long overdue for them to depart from public display.”
Nevertheless, Trump has continued to defend the symbols. “Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments...," Trump said in a series of tweets. "You...can't change history, but you can learn from it. Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson - who's next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish!"
