“On the issue of monuments, there is a battle going on about the narrative of American history,” says Carolyn Gallaher, a professor at the American University of Washington

Why are monuments of ‘untouchable icons’ of US history being torn down? Not even the first president is safe And the author of the Declaration of Independence owned more than 600 slaves and considered the black race inferior to white Author: HinaPosted: June 24, 2020 8:45 am THE POLICE REACTED AS WELL Protesters at the White House tried to tear down a statue of the president they compare to Trump 'TEDDY' INJURED New York is removing a statue depicting the former president sitting on a horse next to a black man and an Indian A wave of anti-racist protests in recent weeks has rocked the United States and, on its way, demolished or damaged monuments to people associated with racism or slavery. The focus of the protesters, however, has also shifted in recent days to historical figures who have long been considered untouchable. Although protesters initially focused on removing the monument to Confederate generals, the movement began to turn its attention to icons of American history as well, including the “fathers of the nation” George Washington and Thomas Jefferson or President Theodore Roosevelt. The death of George Floyd , a black man strangled by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, sparked a debate about monuments in honor of the people who were at the center of the American slave-owning system. Some of them have been torn down or streaked. “On the issue of monuments, there is a battle going on about the narrative of American history,” says Carolyn Gallaher, a professor at the American University of Washington. "In the south, people have decided to worship Confederate leaders. Protesters are now telling them 'no more,'" Gallaher said. Slavery was the economic backbone of the American South until the end of the American Civil War in 1865. This has left a lasting mark on the culture, stereotypes and perception of the region. In Virginia, where some of the first English colonies were established before it became the heart of slavery in America, protesters demanded the removal of a monument to General Robert E. Lee , leader and most famous member of the Confederate army. Lee stands proudly in the middle of Richmond, the Confederate capital during the Civil War. A monument to Confederate General Albert Pike was torn down in Washington last week . But increasingly, other figures with an important place in American history are also unsure. On Monday night, protesters tried to tear down a monument to Andrew Jackson , the seventh president, in Lafayette Park, near the White House. Washington is not unquestioned either Some protesters have also targeted third President Thomas Jefferson . Although the author of the Declaration of Independence, he owned more than 600 slaves and considered the black race inferior to white. “There are a lot of his monuments that should be removed,” television presenter Shannon LaNier wrote in an essay at Newsweek. LaNier is a descendant of Sally Hemings, one of Jefferson's slaves with whom he had six children. “Monuments to the masters of their enslaved ancestors, murderers, white Suprematists are causing great pain to many African Americans,” LaNier wrote. image Monument to Abraham Lincoln in Washington Jim Watson / AFP Even the father of the homeland and its first president, George Washington, is no longer unquestioned. And he had about a hundred slaves on his plantation of Mount Vernon, south of the capital that bears his name. “Monuments in public places are a form of worship, and many are now wondering why we worship slave owners,” Gallaher says. Despite the fact that there are huge and clear differences between General Lee and the fathers of the nation, “they were all slave owners,” she said. History in museums Daniel Domingues , a professor of history at Rice University in Houston, believes that every monument to Jefferson “must be put in context with some plaque or inscription” at the base. The City of New York chose the second method and removed the monument to the 26th President Theodore Roosevelt from the entrance to the American Museum of Natural History. Despite the fierce condemnation of incumbent President Donald Trump, it was done because of the judgment that he represents colonialist and racist views. "Teddy" Roosevelt is depicted on horseback, accompanied by a black man and an Indian. The museum explained that the monument explicitly depicts members of the black race and indigenous peoples as conquered and inferior. “Where are you going to draw the line?” White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany asked. Namely, Trump opposes the removal of the monument to the Confederacy "because it would destroy American history and culture." “American history is preserved in history books and museums,” Domingues replies. Gallaher, who grew up in Virginia, agrees. "People don't learn history from a monument. You'll learn all about George Washington even if his monument isn't there." ************************************************************************************************************************** sA SPOMENICIMA PADA KLASNA LAŽ. sA KLASNOM LAŽIPADA NJEN SUSTAV. u aMERICI STVARAJU SE UVIJETI ZA NOVO CIVILNO DRUŠTVO ! ************************************************************************************************************************+