Peace Monument

Have you ever wondered how the South continued the legacy of their Confederate soldiers after the Civil War? They did it by putting monuments all over the United States in an attempt of bringing the country together after the Civil War, while still establishing their legacy. One of the most prominent monuments is the Peace Monument in Atlanta, Georgia that was created in October of 1911. It is located exactly on Piedmont Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia in Piedmont Park. The artist of this monument was Allen G. Newman. The monument was commissioned by Captain J.F. Burke to try and unite the states after the Civil War. The monument depicts an angel holding onto the hand of a Confederate soldier in order to stop him as he is about to shoot his rifle. In the angel’s other hand, she is holding an olive branch. Sponsors of the statue framed it to bring peace between the Northern and Southern states, but according to a lot of sources this is not true. 

The debate on the original purpose of the “Peace Monument” is a debate that has two main opposed opinions, that is not anywhere close to being settled. According to Atlanta News Now, ‘“Newspaper accounts of the day confirm that the Peace Monument represented different things to different people: Patriotism, reconciliation, the pledge of friendship and good will, and optimism about America’s unfinished history were all sponsors.’” (O’Shea) This monument represented these things to white Southerners who supported the Confederacy, and people from the North who were not abolitionists, or in fear of the country separating again. The people who accepted this so called “pledge of friendship” were only people who had the same moral values and did not like the tension between the North and the South after the Civil War.  This “pledge of friendship” shared a lot of the same ideologies as The Lost Cause, which is an ideology that advocates for the belief that the Confederacy had a heroic and just cause during the Civil War.  According to Atlanta News Now, ‘“There is much historical evidence to suggest that it also represented a tribute to a proud people, who, even though defeated, still remained unconquered.’” (O’Shea) To critiques of the monument, this memorial was seen as a tribute to Confederate soldiers instead of an “act of friendship” to stop the divide in the country.  It was a way to remind the world that even though they were conquered their message of hate and racism will remain unconquered forever, or as long as their statues stand.

The African American community surrounding the Peace Monument has very strong mixed feelings about the fate of the statue. According to David Goldman of NBC News, “In Atlanta's Piedmont Park, the 1911 Peace Monument commemorating post-Civil War reconciliation will get context noting that urs inscription promotes a narrative centered on white veterans, while ignoring African Americans". So just as the feelings of African Americans were ignored when the monument was created their feelings are still being ignored now. Despite the monument promoting "friendship" it still had a Confederate soldier in the monument, so it still enforces the Confederate morals and ideas. According to David Goldman, "This ignores the segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans and others that still existed in 1935". This state ignores the fact that African Americans were immediately put into the Jim Crow era after the Civil War, which would continue until 1965. So, if the Southern states were truly trying to diminish the divide in the nation with the Northern states, they would have thought about how putting a statue of a Confederate soldier up would affect the lives of African Americans who now predominantly lived in the North just having been freed from slavery, but were now put into another slave like holding called Jim Crow.

In today’s society with the increasing number of opinions about social justice movements and hate crimes against minority communities, everyone has an opinion about the future of the statue and not just people in the community. According to Michael King of Alive News, "speaking with the Associated Press, Atlanta History Center President and CEO Sheffield Hale said that the project puts the city ahead of other communities grappling with what to do about their monuments". The question of the removal of Confederate Monuments came after the Charlottesville riots, which were riots led by White Supremacists around a Confederate Statue that killed 1 and injured 28. These monuments do not just put in jeopardy of what is morally right and wrong, but the safety of minorities who live in the southern areas that are populated by Confederate Monuments. In today’s world there are differing opinions about the future of the statue. According to Michael King of Alive News, "As a result, city leaders, working together with the Atlanta History Center, have created information markers to place near the Peace Monument to put its presence into context". The statue cannot be removed in Atlanta because there is a law that was created in 1917 that prohibits the removal of Confederate statues in southern states. So as, a result of this law there will be an informational marker that will tell the true story, purpose, and how this statue affected and still affects African Americans. To some people in Atlanta his is till not enough.

In Conclusion the legacy of the “Peace Monument” in Atlanta Georgia is currently unknown due to the fact that there is a law blocking its removal and the true nature of its meaning towards African Americans having pure or horrible intentions. The fate of the statue has been weighed in on by members of the community, government leaders in Georgia, and people around the world. With all these people and their differing opinions, they were still unable to come to a common goal because the differences that they have between each other. 

1. Peace Monument, Piedmont Park , exploregeorgia.org. Accessed May 4th 2021. www.exploregeorgia.org/atlanta/general/historic-sitestrails-tours/peace-monument-piedmont-park.
2. Goldman , David . Atlanta to add context about the South's racist history to monuments, nbcnews.cm. August 1st 2019. Accessed May 4th 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/atlanta-add-context-about-south-s-racist-history-monuments-n1038256.
3. O'Shea , Brian . Atlanta Peace Statue defaced by Atlanta protesters, ajc.com. August 14th 2017. Accessed May 4th 2021. https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-peace-statue-defaced-atlanta-protesters/uYisgLYGLNEyxugLG5spPN/.
4. Bentley, Rosalind. Atlanta erecting markers about slavery next to Confederate monuments, ajc.com. July 29th 2019. Accessed May 4th 2021. https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/atlanta-erecting-historical-markers-next-confederate-monuments/84aZJcUhOA7GparAHNOGCP/.
5. Case Studies: Confederate Monuments , Atlanta History Center . November 19th 2020. Accessed May 4th 2021. www.atlantahistorycenter.com/learning-and-research/projects initiatives/confederate-monument-interpretation-guide/case-studies-confederate monuments/. .