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Black America Web
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Black America Web
Confederate Group Sues Georgia Over Changes To Stone Mountain Confederate Monument
Source: DANIEL SLIM / Getty I will never understand the intellectual dishonesty of white people who still celebrate the Confederacy. The whole reason the American Civil War was fought was because the Confederacy felt entitled to their slaves, yet those who still celebrate the Confederacy get all apoplectic when that fact is brought up. This is what's currently happening in Georgia, where the Sons of Confederate Veterans have filed a lawsuit against the state over adding an exhibit that addresses the history of slavery, segregation, and the Ku Klux Klan to the Stone Mountain Confederate monument. According to AP News, the lawsuit is over the carving in Georgia's Stone Mountain depicting Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson on horseback. In 2021, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association voted to relocate Confederate flags at the monument and to build an exhibit informing how the monument contributed to the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan and the role segregation played in its creation. So obviously, the Sons of Confederate Veterans had an issue with the Confederate monument being honest about the Confederacy. The group believes that the removal of the flags from the Stone Mountain Confederate monument is a violation of Georgia law. 'When they come after the history and attempt to change everything to the present political structure, that's against the law,' Martin O'Toole, the chapter's spokesperson, told AP. Bro, they're not coming after the history, they're finally being honest about it. The Confederacy waged and lost a war against their own country because they couldn't stand the idea of Black people having the same freedoms as white folks. You can't be mad that this glorified participation trophy is truthful about the cause it was dedicated to. The United Daughters of the Confederacy commissioned the Stone Mountain Confederate monument in 1915. The carving was done by Gutzon Borglum, the same man who later went on to carve Mount Rushmore. The monument, along with the release of the 1915 film Birth of a Nation , were integral to the reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan, to the point that the Klan burned a cross on top of the Confederate monument on Thanksgiving night that same year. Source: DANIEL SLIM / Getty Birmingham-based Warner Museums, which specializes in civil rights installations, was hired by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association to build the new exhibit. 'The interpretive themes developed for Stone Mountain will explore how the collective memory created by Southerners in response to the real and imagined threats to the very foundation of Southern society, the institution of slavery, by westward expansion, a destructive war, and eventual military defeat, was fertile ground for the development of the Lost Cause movement amidst the social and economic disruptions that followed,' the exhibit proposal says. The removal of flags is probably not the main reason the Sons of the Confederate Veterans are big mad about the exhibit. One of the planned parts of the exhibit addresses how both the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans helped perpetuate the 'Lost Cause' ideology and contributed to segregation efforts throughout the South. With that context, this whole lawsuit can't help but feel like the legal equivalent of the 'Wait. Is this f-ing play about us?' meme. Over the last decade, Confederate monuments have become a source of great debate. Last year a poll unsurprisingly found that the majority of white people think Confederate monuments should stay up. There have been efforts across the country to preserve Confederate monuments, including a bill that was passed in Florida last year that aims to preserve the monuments in order to 'protect white society.' No matter how hard Confederacy stans try to convince everyone that their 'rebel pride' is not about racism, the truth always manages to reveal itself. SEE ALSO: Poll: White Americans Support Protecting Confederate Legacy Anti-DEI Alabama Celebrates President Of The Confederacy's Birthday SEE ALSO Confederate Group Sues Georgia Over Changes To Stone Mountain Confederate Monument was originally published on
San Francisco Chronicle
03-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Confederacy group sues Georgia park for planning an exhibit on slavery and segregation
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia chapter of a Confederacy group filed a lawsuit this week against a state park with the largest Confederate monument in the country, arguing officials broke state law by planning an exhibit on ties to slavery, segregation and white supremacy. Stone Mountain's massive carving depicts Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson on horseback. Critics who have long pushed for changes say the monument enshrines the 'Lost Cause' mythology that romanticizes the Confederate cause as a state's rights struggle, but state law protects the carving from any changes. After police brutality spurred nationwide reckonings on racial inequality and the removal of dozens of Confederate monuments in 2020, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, which oversees Stone Mountain Park, voted in 2021 to relocate Confederate flags and build a 'truth-telling' exhibit to reflect the site's role in the rebirth of the Klu Klux Klan, along with the carving's segregationist roots. The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans also alleges in the lawsuit filed Tuesday that the board's decision to relocate Confederate flags from a walking trail violates Georgia law. 'When they come after the history and attempt to change everything to the present political structure, that's against the law,' said Martin O'Toole, the chapter's spokesperson. Stone Mountain Park markets itself as a family theme park and is a popular hiking spot east of Atlanta. Completed in 1972, the monument on the mountain's northern space is 190 feet (58 meters) across and 90 feet (27 meters) tall. The United Daughters of the Confederacy hired sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who later carved Mount Rushmore, to craft the carving in 1915. That same year, the film 'Birth of a Nation' celebrated the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan, which marked its comeback with a cross burning on top of Stone Mountain on Thanksgiving night in 1915. One of the 10 parts of the planned exhibit would expound on the Ku Klux's Klan reemergence and the movie's influence on the mountain's monument. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association hired Birmingham-based Warner Museums, which specializes in civil rights installations, to design the exhibit in 2022. "The interpretive themes developed for Stone Mountain will explore how the collective memory created by Southerners in response to the real and imagined threats to the very foundation of Southern society, the institution of slavery, by westward expansion, a destructive war, and eventual military defeat, was fertile ground for the development of the Lost Cause movement amidst the social and economic disruptions that followed," the exhibit proposal says. Other parts of the exhibit would address how the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans perpetuated the 'Lost Cause' ideology through support for monuments, education programs and racial segregation laws across the South. It would also tell stories of a small Black community that lived near the mountain after the war. Georgia's General Assembly allocated $11 million in 2023 to pay for the exhibit and renovate the park's Memorial Hall. The exhibit is not open yet. A spokesperson for the park did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The park's board in 2021 also voted to change its logo from an image of the Confederate carveout to a lake inside the park. The exhibit would 'radically revise' the park's setup, 'completely changing the emphasis of the Park and its purpose as defined by the law of the State of Georgia,' the lawsuit says. ___
Toronto Star
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Confederacy group sues Georgia park for planning an exhibit on slavery and segregation
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia chapter of a Confederacy group filed a lawsuit this week against a state park with the largest Confederate monument in the country, arguing officials broke state law by planning an exhibit on ties to slavery, segregation and white supremacy. Stone Mountain's massive carving depicts Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson on horseback. Critics who have long pushed for changes say the monument enshrines the 'Lost Cause' mythology that romanticizes the Confederate cause as a state's rights struggle, but state law protects the carving from any changes.
Winnipeg Free Press
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Confederacy group sues Georgia park for planning an exhibit on slavery and segregation
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia chapter of a Confederacy group filed a lawsuit this week against a state park with the largest Confederate monument in the country, arguing officials broke state law by planning an exhibit on ties to slavery, segregation and white supremacy. Stone Mountain's massive carving depicts Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson on horseback. Critics who have long pushed for changes say the monument enshrines the 'Lost Cause' mythology that romanticizes the Confederate cause as a state's rights struggle, but state law protects the carving from any changes. After police brutality spurred nationwide reckonings on racial inequality and the removal of dozens of Confederate monuments in 2020, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, which oversees Stone Mountain Park, voted in 2021 to relocate Confederate flags and build a 'truth-telling' exhibit to reflect the site's role in the rebirth of the Klu Klux Klan, along with the carving's segregationist roots. The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans also alleges in the lawsuit filed Tuesday that the board's decision to relocate Confederate flags from a walking trail violates Georgia law. 'When they come after the history and attempt to change everything to the present political structure, that's against the law,' said Martin O'Toole, the chapter's spokesperson. Stone Mountain Park markets itself as a family theme park and is a popular hiking spot east of Atlanta. Completed in 1972, the monument on the mountain's northern space is 190 feet (58 meters) across and 90 feet (27 meters) tall. The United Daughters of the Confederacy hired sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who later carved Mount Rushmore, to craft the carving in 1915. That same year, the film 'Birth of a Nation' celebrated the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan, which marked its comeback with a cross burning on top of Stone Mountain on Thanksgiving night in 1915. One of the 10 parts of the planned exhibit would expound on the Ku Klux's Klan reemergence and the movie's influence on the mountain's monument. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association hired Birmingham-based Warner Museums, which specializes in civil rights installations, to design the exhibit in 2022. 'The interpretive themes developed for Stone Mountain will explore how the collective memory created by Southerners in response to the real and imagined threats to the very foundation of Southern society, the institution of slavery, by westward expansion, a destructive war, and eventual military defeat, was fertile ground for the development of the Lost Cause movement amidst the social and economic disruptions that followed,' the exhibit proposal says. Other parts of the exhibit would address how the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans perpetuated the 'Lost Cause' ideology through support for monuments, education programs and racial segregation laws across the South. It would also tell stories of a small Black community that lived near the mountain after the war. Georgia's General Assembly allocated $11 million in 2023 to pay for the exhibit and renovate the park's Memorial Hall. The exhibit is not open yet. A spokesperson for the park did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The park's board in 2021 also voted to change its logo from an image of the Confederate carveout to a lake inside the park. Sons of the Confederate Veterans members have defended the carvings as honoring Confederate soldiers. The exhibit would 'radically revise' the park's setup, 'completely changing the emphasis of the Park and its purpose as defined by the law of the State of Georgia,' the lawsuit says. ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.
Wall Street Journal
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
‘Lincoln's Lady Spymaster' Review: An Agent of Society
Elizabeth Van Lew was rich, beautiful, charming and plugged into 19th-century Virginia high society, whose aristocracy included President Jefferson Davis. Motivated by her abhorrence of slavery and opposition to the dissolution of the Union, Van Lew (1818-1900) used her elite social position to set up a spy ring that helped the North win the Civil War. In 'Lincoln's Lady Spymaster,' Gerri Willis relates with verve and rich detail the extraordinary story of Van Lew's espionage career. With the help of liberal quotations from Van Lew's diary, the author brings to life her subject's generous yet pugnacious personality and her moral certainty about the dangerous life she chose. Ms. Willis, an anchor for Fox Business, is the author of two previous books on personal finance. Van Lew's pro-Union attitudes grew out of her Northern roots. He father was an 'ambitious New Yorker from Long Island' who established a successful hardware business in Richmond, Va. Her maternal grandfather served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and was one of the first members of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, which, in 1790, petitioned Congress to abolish slavery. Elizabeth's parents sent her to school in Philadelphia, where she was exposed to antislavery views. Her career as a spy began early in the war when she persuaded prison officials to let her deliver food, books and clothing to captured Union soldiers. It wasn't long before she realized that some prisoners had information that could be valuable to the Union's war effort. She also overheard sensitive information from prison officials, who weren't always careful when speaking around a Southern lady.
