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Should confederate monuments be removed?
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Slavery is over

Thankfully, slavery has been illegal for decades. That means no one should feel bitter about anything representing that painful part of history.
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The Argument

Confederate monuments shouldn’t be a problem because slavery is over. Yes, the southern ex-Confederate states legalized slavery and slaves were treated horribly. However, everyone’s a free person now and the bitterness should be let go.

Counter arguments

Human emotions cannot be controlled. The effects of slavery are still prevalent today. African-Americans are more likely to be arrested than other races.[1] On the other side of the spectrum, people of European descent are seen as the bad guys because of the injustice that has happened in the past.[2] Monuments should be taken down as a sign that any remaining bitterness and unjust treatment because of race has no value in society, even as a historical monument.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Slavery is over. [P2] People shouldn’t hold on to the past. [P3] People shouldn't have a problem with Confederate monuments.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Confederate monuments should be taken down because slavery is over. There’s no reason to honor the confederacy, and people are still suffering from the social problems caused by slavery. [Rejecting P2] The past is a part of a person’s history. Sometimes people can’t let go of their past because it’s too hard or it’s out of their control.

References

  1. https://www.mic.com/p/the-closure-of-rural-hospitals-is-americas-hidden-health-care-injustice-21813525
  2. https://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2016/06/11/when-did-white-men-become-the-bad-guys-in-america-n2176700
This page was last edited on Wednesday, 4 Mar 2020 at 16:06 UTC

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