While I personally condemn Lee, I do not write this article as one of the many who have recently done so for the sake of shallow social approval. I write this article as a proud American, the direct descendant of Revolutionary and Civil War veterans, and the son of an immigrant of color and an Ohioan. I will never disservice our shared national history by reducing it to an ignorant and simple ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ and I genuinely believe that examining General Lee’s life and choices will allow one to recognize core moral conflicts in our country that continue to burden us all to this day as well as develop a stronger understanding of others during this divided era. However, I cannot support the open display of this memorial of Robert E. Lee, and as the man himself had argued against the creation of Confederate monuments, I am confident he would agree.
In addition, this memorial has no connection to Ohio’s history in the Civil War at all. It was erected to mark a point along the Dixie Highway, a tourist route founded in the early twentieth century, generations after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. To have this memorial still displayed in Franklin is a blatant sign of disrespect to the state as a whole, as well as the people harmed by the Confederacy and its legacy.
The city of Franklin sought to remove the memorial when it was on public land and Lodge #2309′s decision to restore it to its current place on the outside premises of the lodge continues to preserve the presence of Lee in a state that fought hard to defeat him. For the sake of our collective national integrity, I request Lodge #2309 remove the memorial.
Jeremy Y. Sharp is a current senior at Cornell University and intends to pursue law school in the fall.
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