Examining the Charlottesville Riots: Confederate Statues and Politics

This essay provides an analysis of the Charlottesville riots of 2017, examining the historical context rooted in the American Civil War and the contentious issue of Confederate statues. It explores the clash between those advocating for the removal of these symbols of the Confederacy and those defending their preservation, highlighting the role of white supremacy and nationalism. The essay delves into the policy decisions made at local and state levels regarding the statues, including legal precedents and legislative actions. It also discusses the differing sentiments of various groups, including Democrats, minorities, Republicans, and white supremacists. The conclusion offers policy recommendations, suggesting a federal approach that balances the autonomy of local governments with the need to address the sensitivities surrounding these historical artifacts, while avoiding actions that might further exacerbate societal tensions.

Running head: THE CHARLOTTESVILLE RIOTS
THE CHARLOTTESVILLE RIOTS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1
THE CHARLOTTESVILLE RIOTS
Background to the Charlottesville Riots
In order to have a clear understanding of the riots that took place in Charlottesville in the
year 2017, it is essential to make that attempt against the backdrop of the American Civil War.
The major bone of contention between the northern and the southern states were their respective
stance on maintaining the status quo of the institution of slavery. The northern states, having
realized that the system is oppressive had joined hands with the Federal Government headed by
President Abraham Lincoln to abolish it. The southern states desired to maintain the system of
slavery as the major contribution to the pastoral economy there was supplemented by it. This
difference led the thirteen southern states to form a confederacy and secede from the country
collectively, which resulted in the four year long American Civil War from 1861 to 1865
(Johnson, 2017).
The southern states failed in their ambition to secede and create a separate country for
themselves, however they have immense amount of respect and admiration for the war veterans
who had fought for the cause that was so dear to them. In response to such a sentiment several
monuments and statues were erected. Besides that, public places like schools, colleges,
universities, parks and bridges have been named after the Army Generals who had fought to
safeguard the interests of the southern states. In the contemporary period the presence of the
symbolic legacies of the war period has attracted criticism and public outrage which has created
two ideological faction in the country (Johnson, 2017). The Democrats, the Blacks and other
minorities on one side supporting the removal of the confederate statues and the renaming of
public places citing the bitter memories of racialism and oppression that those historical artifacts
symbolized. The Republicans, White Supremacists and Nationalists on the other hand voicing
their sentimental attachment to the personalities pushed for maintaining the statues, monuments

2
THE CHARLOTTESVILLE RIOTS
and names of streets after the war veterans of the south as they were. This difference had
frequent clashes in the country between the white supremacists and the population holding
liberal values. One such incident that can be cited as the Charlottesville riots of 2017 in which
the white supremacist had launched a protest movement reeking of xenophobia, against the
decision of the removal of the statue of Robert Edward Lee, a war veteran who led the southern
forces in the American Civil War. The rally was named as Unite the Right, and cherished the
Nazi legacy to champion the supremacy of the white skinned people (Johnson, 2017).
In this essay an account of the policy decisions of the government with regard to its
stance on the issue of removal of the confederate statues, its restoration and its relocation, by
connecting it with the sentiments of the masses. The conclusion shall be a recommendation of
alternative policy decisions with a critical undertone.
Policy Decisions on Confederate Statues
On a 3 versus 2 simple majority vote basis it was decided that the statue of Lee shall be
removed and the adjacent Lee Park be renamed. The particular decision was in tandem with the
verdict of the Supreme Court in the Pleasant Grove City versus Summum Case of 2009, which
stated that the city, or the immediate neighbourhood where a confederate statue existed, had the
sole right to decide the course of action to be undertaken in that respect. Justice Alito opined that
a statue was symbolic of a sentiment, and if that offended the sentiments of a particular section
of the society then it should be removed from public display. The state of Texas had embarked
upon removing confederate statues following the mass shooting of African worshippers at a
Charleston Church in 2015 (Forest & Johnson, 2018).

3
THE CHARLOTTESVILLE RIOTS
According to the American legal system in case there is a clash between the Federal and
the State laws, the former shall prevail as concluded in the Ogden versus Gibbons Case.
Unfortunately, the absence of a substantial, well documented and unambiguous Federal Legal
Statute, has empowered several State Governments to pass policy decisions that impede the city
or the local governments from exercising their autonomy with regard to deciding upon removing
confederate statues from public display, thereby protecting the Confederate Statues (Morgan,
2018).
In the year 2000 South Carolina had adopted a measure for protecting all memorials
whuch has its connection with the civil war in order to honour the armed forces who had laoid
down their lives for an altruistic cause. The Cultural History Artefact Management and
Patriotism Act of 2015 of North Carolina states that artifacts placed at public facilities having a
historical relevance shall not be removed completely. Memorial Preservation Act of 2017 of
Alabama blatantly prohibits the displacement of any confederate statue as they represent the
history of the people of Alabama and any tampering with it symbolized malicious obliteration of
the history of the people. Citing this State Law the mayor of Birmingham had been sued for
covering a Confederate Monument from public view (Thakkar, 2018).
As a matter of fact it must be noted that the individuals, organizations or even legal
statutes which are not in favour of displaying the confederate monuments publicly, at either the
local, state or the federal level have not voiced for destruction of them. Their concern is just
about being sensitive to the feelings of the people who cannot relate to their presence in a
positive way (Thakkar, 2018).

4
THE CHARLOTTESVILLE RIOTS
Conclusion
In this section a personal reflection and some policy recommendations shall be presented.
The issue of confederate statues being a reason behind offending the sentiments of a section of
the population is not restricted to just one state, hence an overarching policy decision must be
undertaken by a supreme authority which is none other than the Federal Government of the
country. The best possible solution in this regard shall be passing of a federal judgement which
shall prevent the State Governments from encroaching upon the autonomy of the cities and the
local governments to decide upon whether they want the confederate statues at open air public
places or they be relocated to a museum like the ones in the Capitol. However, any move which
seeks to destroy the statues must be avoided as that shall further increase tension between the
people.

5
THE CHARLOTTESVILLE RIOTS
References
Forest, B., & Johnson, J. (2018). Confederate monuments and the problem of forgetting. cultural
geographies, 1474474018796653.
Johnson, M. (2017). Separate but (Un) Equal: Why Institutionalized Anti-Racism Is the Answer
to the Never-Ending Cycle of Plessy v. Ferguson. U. Rich. L. Rev., 52, 327.
Morgan, D. (2018). Soldier Statues and Empty Pedestals: Public Memory in the Wake of the
Confederacy. Material Religion, 14(1), 153-157.
Thakkar, A. (2018). Statues and Statutes: Evaluating Iconoclastic Policy Approaches to
Addressing Confederate Statues. Research Week.