Cornelius D. Murray
Albany, N.Y.
To the Editor:
A mob in Portland, Ore., has taken down a statue of George Washington. Mobs cannot be expected to be discriminating, but the Portland mob was clearly picking on the wrong patriot. Washington owned slaves, but he was among the few founders who (in his will) freed his slaves, and all of us are in his debt for the examples he set as the commander of the Continental Army who was deferential to Congress and a president who gave up power gracefully.
Fortunately, in Washington’s case, one mob does not a reputation break. As the British historian Marcus Cunliffe pointed out, Washington’s name has been securely attached not just to the capital of the United States and a national holiday, but also to “one American state, seven mountains, eight streams, ten lakes, thirty-three counties; for nine American colleges; for one hundred and twenty-one American towns and villages” — to say nothing of having his likeness on currency, postage stamps, Mount Rushmore and statues throughout the world.
Some statues should be moved from public squares to museums. That of Washington in Portland should be restored to the public square.
Ira D. Gruber
Houston
The writer is professor emeritus of history at Rice University.
To the Editor:
We should not attempt to destroy our history. We should learn from it. I fully understand the anger of having to view statues of Confederate leaders that appear in our cities. We should follow Hungary’s lead and dedicate a park where these “memorials” can be moved. In 1991 Hungary announced the creation of Szoborpark (Memento Park), where the statues of Lenin, Marx, Engels and many Hungarian Communists hold forth. They date from Hungary’s Communist rule from 1949 to 1989.
Arthur Lieb
Boulder, Colo.
To the Editor:
Re “How Statues Are Falling Around the World” (nytimes.com, June 24):
While various statues dedicated to racism are being toppled or removed, they remain at Gettysburg National Park in Pennsylvania. Off to the side of the battlefield are an array of statues and monuments dedicated to various regiments from different Southern states. What is most objectionable about these monuments are the words etched on the plaques that these soldiers died for a “just,” a “noble” or an “honorable” cause. Slavery is neither just nor noble and certainly not honorable.
Jane A. Gigler
Portland, Ore.
To the Editor:
Re “G.O.P. Defends Monuments to Traitors” (editorial, June 20):
On the day before Juneteenth, Nancy Pelosi announced that portraits of past House speakers who were part of the Confederacy would be taken down. Instead, plaques should have been added under these portraits to educate viewers about former House members who were on the wrong side of history and why.
I think it is harmful to try to rewrite or erase what has happened in the past; that makes us no better than totalitarian regimes. And though I am all in favor of renaming buildings that glorify those who promoted slavery and advocated for the dissolution of the Union, I do not support destroying or removing art. Sculptures, paintings and murals all provide an opportunity for learning about our country’s horrific past regarding racism.
Tom Goodman
Chicago