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by Elise DeYoung

This summer I had the honor of visiting our nation’s capital. Upon arrival, my friends and I went to Arlington National Cemetery to pay our respects to our country’s fallen soldiers. I was amazed by the scale of the cemetery and the countless rows of headstones that rest peacefully on the grounds. I saw many monuments erected to pay homage to brutal battles fought and to honor countless soldiers lost.

Recently, Arlington National Cemetery made headlines by tearing down a monument dedicated to fallen Confederate soldiers that has stood on its grounds for over a century.

Two Reasons the Statue is Being Taken Down

There are two primary reasons why they decided to tear down the statue: First, they believe it is wrong to honor soldiers who fought in defense of slavery. Second, they claim that the statue itself portrays a romanticized picture of slavery and belittles the wickedness of the institution.

Both arguments take issue with the imagined purpose and message of the monument so, it is necessary to examine the history of Arlington and the Confederate monument when considering these reasons.

First Argument

Arlington National Cemetery is categorized into many sections that represent specific wars, battles, and divisions. The soldiers who are buried in each section are there due to a connection that they had with that event or station.

Additionally, each section has a monument in place to honor and respect the men buried there. There is a monument for the Battle of the Bulge, one for the Korean War, and another for the Spanish-American War nurses. And until a few days ago, there was a monument for Section 16, which holds and honors the fallen soldiers of the Confederacy.

Originally, Arlington was a Union cemetery that did not allow for Confederate soldiers to be buried there. However, as it gained prominence and included soldiers from many wars and battles, there was a debate about whether Confederate soldiers should be allowed to be buried there. The final decision was made in 1900 and soon, Confederates were being buried at the Capital. Today, over 400 Confederate soldiers are buried at Arlington.

In support of this decision, President McKinley famously said, “In the spirit of fraternity, we should share with you in the care of the graves of Confederate soldiers…. Sectional feeling no longer holds back the love we feel for each other. The old flag again waves over us in peace with new glories.”

Graves for Confederate Soldiers Do Not Glorify or Promote Racism

This was not out of lingering racism or traces of slavery support that these men were honored and allowed to rest at Arlington. In a stark contrast to that belief, the desire for unity and peace motivated the burial of Confederate soldiers.

If people are angry with the honoring of Confederate troops, it is foolish to believe that by removing the monument, their discontentment will be satisfied. There are still over 400 Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington. Should we dig up the graves out of protest? I argue that erasing the memory is tantamount to promoting racism and forgetting past errors.

Removing a monument stems from an ignorance of its history—not to mention that this is a petty position to hold. The men and women who saw the war and lived through the Reconstruction allowed the Confederate soldiers to rest peacefully next to their fellow Union Americans. So why should we be the ones who are outraged?

Second Argument

The second reason that Arlington tore down the monument is they believe the statue itself romanticizes slavery and downplays the evils of the institution.

While it is true that the monument does not portray slaves being whipped, this was never its purpose. It was to the memory and history of the Confederate soldiers, not to the slaves.

Arlington explains what the purpose of the monument is and why it has historically stood at the cemetery.

“The Confederate Memorial offers an opportunity for visitors to reflect on the history and meanings of the Civil War, slavery, and the relationship between military service, citizenship, and race in America… In such ways, the history of Arlington National Cemetery allows us to better understand the complex history of the United States.”

Even Arlington recognizes that the monument was intended to invite its viewers to reflect on the American Civil War, slavery, and the men who fought in the war. It was not intended to expand division and hatred, but to encourage both sides to remember the past while we move into the future together as fellow Americans.

The Monument is Not a Beacon of White Supremacy

It is not a beacon of white supremacy. Rather it promotes our unity as Americans. It is not a symbol of slavery. It’s a symbol to celebrate our victory over it.

Arlington’s own website contradicts its decision to destroy the statue. According to them the monument “Allows us to better understand the complex history of the United States.”

It is essential that we, as Americans, are well informed of our nation’s complex (and often ugly) history. It’s imperative we know the good and the bad. We must know the bad so that we can be sure never to repeat our past mistakes.

Monuments and statues are a way of bringing history to life and honoring those who lived it. By tearing them down, we are tearing down our past. By vandalizing them, we are shaming and disgracing those who built this nation we now have the honor of living in.

As George Orwell in his work “1984″ said, “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”

It’s imperative we not allow our history to be distorted by those who call for the destruction of it. Arlington National Cemetery has joined with those who are insistent on forgetting, but we must not follow in their footsteps. We must stand up for history and our right to remember until “The old flag again waves over us in peace with new glories.”

Elise DeYoung is a PR & Communications Associate as well as a Classical Conversations graduate. With CC, she strives to know God and make Him known in all aspects of her life. She is a servant of Christ, an avid reader, and a professional nap-taker. As she continues her journey towards the Celestial City, she is determined to gain wisdom and understanding wherever it can be found. Soli Deo gloria!

By Lauren Gideon

It has been about a month since the 2023 elections. As is typical of any election in my lifetime, there was much enthusiasm, effort, passion, and good intentions leading up to the big vote. The races with the most attention in my state were the school board races. You can read my thoughts about those races here. While this election cycle had notoriously low turnout, the results were still jolting to those who had invested so much and anticipated more favorable results.

Temper Your Election Expectations

Elections always carry this sober-‘day-of-reckoning’-aura for those invested in the civic process. The time for head scratching commences. “Where was the red wave?” “Where is that ‘silent majority’?” “Do they not care enough to vote?” “Do they even exist?” “If they do exist, does it even matter if they don’t care enough to participate?”

Unfortunately, I’m usually the person who brings the wet blanket to the party. Despite the narrative at the cheerleading events, I don’t anticipate any significant change in one election. I don’t believe in a silent majority or a “take back our schools” mantra. Why? Those are collectivist slogans employed by those who usually have one primary objective; “How do ‘we’ out-muscle our political opponents.” Since we know power takes numbers, we prefer empty collectivist battle cries to the substantiative truth claims that can be divisive and hurt our potential democratic control. Conservatives claim to be anti-Marxist, while many have also reduced the human experience to a binary power struggle.

Both Parties Want the Same Thing

Recently, I was across the table from a successful activist. He pulled open his laptop and pointed to all the areas shaded red on this U.S. map. He enthusiastically told me how several locations had flipped colors but cautioned my enthusiasm because the margins were tight everywhere. “Do you know what this means?” he asked with optimism in his eyebrows.

“Yes,” I replied. “It means that what these two colors offer is not that different from the other if people are so easily swayed back and forth.” His eyebrows fell. “You know, I hadn’t thought about it that way before.”

To overly simplify, both parties are out to dominate their political opponent through means of political power. The real question is, “What flavor would you like your tyranny?” Because we, Americans, leverage our tyranny through democratic processes, we have given it our blessing because of our nation’s misplaced loyalty to democracy ahead of the preservation of individual liberty. The tyranny of the majority is a cruel reality.

Did Argentina Beat Us to the Punch?

Simultaneously happening in the opposite hemisphere, Argentina has decided to elect a self-professing libertarian (or liberal in Argentine vernacular). Javier Milei, who takes office December 10, is the president-elect who ran a campaign on promises to reduce the scope and size of the Argentine government and “lead the country with a plan of free-market reforms.” ¹ Milei says,

“Liberalism is defending the right to life, liberty, and property. The institutions of liberalism support private property, labor mobility, the division of labor, social cooperation, and free markets with limited state intervention. It is serving your fellow neighbor by offering better goods and services. This is what we believe.” ²

While published smear ads are a dime-a-dozen, Milei’s success does invoke a measure of curiosity. Why was this message successful? Is it merely because of Argentina’s economic crisis, or is there a degree of attractiveness to this different political tune?

Now, it is too soon to draw conclusions about Milei himself. There are plenty of reasons to be cautious. However, if we take the human element out of the picture and assess the principles at play, is there a chance that a new (or, dare I say, “old”) theme is brewing? A theme where people are tired of choosing their flavor of political control. Could minds be opened to an alternative paradigm?

Individual Liberty is the Unifier

I think a case could be made that there is a new opportunity for a bipartisan unifier—individual liberty. Could the idea of self-governance be attractive once again? Can both sides lay down their commitment to control and “fixing” their fellow human? Could we settle for the timeless virtues of justice, civility, and freedom of conscience? Could we promote a paradigm where citizens have the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail, the right to pursue their happiness, and the right to reap the consequences of their actions? That would be a tough bridge to cross for both political ideologies.

Christian conservatives need to remember that while we do have an obligation to seek justice in this life (Micah 6:8) with historical and biblical principles to guide us, there is a higher court. In this court sits the Judge of Judges, who decides what injustices will be made right. In our misguided effort to bring heaven down to earth, we often take on responsibility that isn’t ours to bear. In doing so, we trespass into the life, liberty, and conscience of our neighbors—the very things our founding documents were established to protect.

In the book of Daniel, we read about Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan king who ruled Babylon. After witnessing the miracle of the salvation of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Nebuchadnezzar makes a decree regarding the speech, the expression of the conscience,

“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” (Daniel 3:28-29)

However, this chapter began with King Nebuchadnezzar mandating that all Babylonians worship the Idol he had set up,

“You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.” (Daniel 3:4-5)

Which mandate was to honor the king’s appropriate sphere of governance? Answer: neither.

In both scenarios, Nebuchadnezzar trespassed beyond his sphere of authority into the private property of the human soul. Juxtapose this paradigm with Joshua’s invitation,

“And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Now, before a whistle-blower calls foul—no one in our present moment is blatantly mandating a religion or religious practices. Consider how political ideologies have gone beyond their appropriate spheres. Consider where boundaries of life, liberty, property, and conscience have been trespassed. No matter how well-intended, is justice being upheld? Consider that at the beginning of time, when all things were as they ought to be, humanity was given three things: breath in their lungs (life), a beautiful garden (property), and choice—choice so critical it could save their souls or send their souls to hell (liberty).

Who afforded them these things? God himself. If we don’t afford the same to our fellow man, we have elevated our judgment above God’s and made ourselves god in His place. We have trespassed onto a throne that does not belong to mere mortals and have violated the first commandment, “Thou shalt not have any other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)

In the twenty-first century United States, are the parties, the politicians, and the people still loyal to the idea of Liberty and Justice for all?

Lauren Gideon is the Manager of Grassroots Advocacy for Classical Conversations. She co-leads and teaches through an organization committed to raising citizenship IQ on U.S. founding documents. She and her husband homeschool their seven children on their small acreage, where they are enjoying their new adventures in homesteading.

Schotgues, Marcus. “Five Things to Know about Argentina’s New President.” The Epoch Times. November 21, 2023. https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/5-things-to-know-about-argentinas-new-president ↩︎
Peterson, Michael. “Javier Milei: The Argentine Economist Who Could Become the First Libertarian President in Modern History.” Foundation for Economic Education. August 18, 2023. https://fee.org/articles/javier-milei-the-argentine-economist-who-could-become-the-first-libertarian-president-in-modern-history/ ↩︎

Tag: politics

Should the Confederate Statue be Taken Down? – Recent News at Arlington Cemetery

Liberty in Argentina