Joseph Bryan Statue

The Confederacy is one of the most historically significant events that transpired in American history. The Confederacy attempted to establish a new nation operated by a limited central government that protected the institution of slavery. After four years, the United States defeated the Confederacy, readmitted southern states back into the US, and abolished slavery across the nation. However, at the start of the twentieth century, Confederate monuments were instituted as part of legally mandated segregation and widespread disfranchisement throughout the South (Sheehan-Dean, 2020). The Joseph Bryan Statue is one of the hundreds of Confederate statues constructed in the preceding years.

When evaluating the historical significance of monuments, it is fundamentally important to consider the represented individuals’ personal history to understand the larger narrative at hand, such as how they may have affected political and economic movements in American history. Therefore, Joseph Bryan was a well-known Richmond newspaper publisher and educated politician. In examining Bryan’s background, as with any other monuments, it is essential to consider other primary sources or artifacts surrounding the timeframe that Bryan lived, for example. In 1897 Bryan wrote to a friend, “The older I get, the more I admire the old civilization that made patriots and heroes out of white people and civilized human beings out of the cannibals of Africa (Lindgren 2018, par. 1).” Bryan’s letter to a friend is an example of an exceptionally valuable source that reveals new information that allows the audience to develop a broad notion of Bryan’s personal views, contributing to a larger historical narrative. Additionally, historians discovered that Bryan supported the Lost Cause commemoration when evaluating historical artifacts and materials from the past. These historical discoveries revealed that Bryan had an active role in the Confederacy; he believed that the battle between the United States and the Confederacy during the American Civil War was heroic and advocated that the trends following the Civil War demonstrated the righteousness of the Confederacy (Lindgren 2018, par. 6). Ultimately, through extensive historical research and examination, historians and researchers determined that Bryan encouraged the preservation of traditional roles within society, strongly advocated for the enforcement of segregation laws, and ultimately desired to restore order in society as far back as history initially established. 

In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center constructed an extensive study of Confederate statues and monuments across the country. The study found a considerable spike in the production of Confederate monuments, first at the beginning of the twentieth century and again in the nineteen fifties and sixties, and both occurrences took place during times of extreme civil rights tension (Parks 2017). Moreover, the Joseph Bryan Statue was no exception. It was devised in the early nineteen hundreds during a time of extreme civil rights tension and established with the principle that not all men are created equal. During this period, Southern states also enacted ‘Jim Crow Laws,’ which disenfranchised Black Americans and denied them their basic fundamental rights. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that the civil rights movement would rise and push back against this segregation (Parks 2017). Jane Dailey, an associate professor of history at the University of Chicago, said, “Most of the people who were involved in erecting the monuments were not necessarily erecting a monument to the past but were rather erecting them toward a white supremacist future; where the elite Southern whites are in control and are going to build monuments to themselves effectively (Parks 2017).” Today we continue to take action against Confederate Monuments by bringing awareness to their symbol of inequality, supporting their prompt removal from public spaces, and demanding a better future where every American is represented equally.

Confederate monuments belong to an extensive collection of historical narratives, including social movements, cultural trends, and people groups. The twenty-first century revolutionized the world with the rise of social movements that fought for equality. Specifically, Black Lives Matter and Anti-Racism groups marked the start of a significant social movement worldwide, which continues to grow today. These social movement groups bring awareness to the false narrative that Confederate monuments stand to symbolize. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that the removal of Confederate monuments is viewed differently by diverse historians, activists, and civil rights groups. Today, taking down Confederate memorials is seen as one way of correcting the historical record. According to an article published by Insider, “They were designed to rewrite history, to justify the rise of racial apartheid and segregation essentially, and the racial apartheid and segregation of the 20th century have cast a very long shadow over America in the 21st century (Insider, Abadi, K. Mark, Reilly, K., Nixdorf, K. 2020).”

Collectively, it is essential to acknowledge the lasting legacy of Confederate monuments and consider the different perspectives and views that various people have today. Specifically, the legacy of Joseph Bryan remains valued by some individuals today. Despite Bryan’s defeat in the industrial market and attempt at a Confederate government, he built a luxurious residence near Richmond, Virginia, named Laburnum. Unfortunately, Laburnum caught fire in 1906 but was swiftly replaced with an even more luxurious building and given the same name (Lindgren 2018, par. 10). Shortly after the second completion of Bryan’s home, Laburnum, Bryan died, and his son John Stewart Bryan lived there until he died in 1944 (Jollatz 2015). In 1949 the Bryan family gave the Laburnum estate to Richmond Memorial Hospital and donated land to Richmond’s city to create the Joseph Bryan Park, which is still instituted today (Lindgren 2018, par. 12).

In conclusion, although many people believe that Bryan’s statue was rightfully removed, it is crucial to realize that some people have opposing perspectives. For example, some critics argue that removing statues related to the Confederacy is an attempt to erase history, but many historians believe that it is necessary to remove these monuments because of the larger narrative they represent-that being racism. Moreover, many educators believe that there are many other ways and alternatives for people to engage and explore this period of history without the monuments themselves. Collectively, the events that transpire during the Confederacy are widely controversial, and therefore many Americans continue to question them today. 

Abadi, Mark K. 'Our Society is Evolving': What Historians and Activists are saying about the Movement to Remove Statues, Insider. July 1, 2020. Accessed April 8, 2021. https://www.businessinsider.com/confederate-statues-removal-slavery-protests-2020-6.

Jollatz, Harry. The Laburnum Legacy, Richmond Magazine. May 19, 2015. Accessed March 10, 2021. https://richmondmagazine.com/home/the-laburnum-legacy/.

Lindgren, James. Dictionary of Virginia Biography, Library of Virginia. 2018. Accessed March 10, 2021. https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/bio.php?b=Bryan_Joseph_1845-1908.

Little, Becky. How the US Got So Many Confederate Monuments, History. June 12, 2020. Accessed March 25, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/how-the-u-s-got-so-many-confederate-monuments.

Parks, Miles. Confederate Statues Were Built To Further A 'White Supremacist Future', National Public Radio. August 20, 2017. Accessed March 25, 2021. https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544266880/confederate-statues-were-built-to-further-a-white-supremacist-future.

Potterfield, Tyler. History, Monroe Park Conservancy. 2018. Accessed April 30, 2021. https://monroepark.com/about/history/.

Sheehan-Dean, Aaron C. Causes of Confederate Defeat in the Civil War, Encyclopedia Virginia. December 7, 2020. Accessed April 30, 2021. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/causes-of-confederate-defeat-in-the-civil-war/.