In his Aug. 19 letter, “Removing history invites stupidity,” Peter L. Williamson suggests that it is stupid to remove symbols of history, and that it would be better to teach factual history and learn from it. He only has it half right.
Of course it is right to teach factual history. But Confederate monuments do not exist today to teach factual history — how many monuments in the South are there commemorating the horrors of slavery or the surrender at Appomattox? Confederate monuments exist to glorify people who fought to defend the indefensible position that slavery was acceptable.
There is a difference between teaching history and glorifying people who defended the indefensible. No inconsistency exists between teaching factual history and removing monuments that celebrate Confederate leaders. Society can, and should, do both.
