Questions for Socratic Seminar

-What should be done with the Confederate monuments?

(1)What Should be Done:

  1. Should the statues simply be taken down?

- Do these symbols of the Confederacy really represent America in the 21st Century, a country that is multiracial, diverse, believes in equality, and wants everyone to be successful?

  1. How should the statues be taken down, if they are indeed taken down?

- In the middle of the night (so people don’t have to think about it) or in broad daylight (New Orleans example)?

- Concept of Federalism: Should these be local decisions, for instance if they are placed in a city, should there be a local vote by people in the city or a simple city council vote (elected representatives)?

- Do the people of South Dakota have a legitimate perspective that is relevant to making this decision or is this a local decision?

  1. Should the statues be left alone?

- After all, “people just need to get over the past?”

- Are there “cultural ideas” represented in these Confederate statues worth putting on display in public places?

- Should Confederate statues be placed in Confederate museums where people can appreciate these monuments in private locations?

- Does the presence of Confederate statues in public places really help us “learn” our history?

  1. Should monuments to Confederacy be modified or supplemented?

- Maybe we should erect statues to slaves?

  1. Maybe a historical discussion is not relevant …

- After all, a person was killed by white supremacists, so we should do everything in our power to discourage white supremacist ideas. Agree or disagree?

- Germany bans certain historical symbols of the Nazis and Hitler, should we follow their lead?

- On Aug. 11, 2017, in the United States, people were actually chanting …

** “You will not replace us / Jews will not replace us”

** “Blood and Soil,” which was something chanted by the Nazis during WWII

- Are there considerations of aesthetic, artistic tradition?

(2)Relevant Historical Events:

  1. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, versus Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, are these historical figures similar? Different?

- Do these historical figures celebrate different ideas?

  1. Are events from the “Antebellum Era” (before the Civil War) relevant to this discussion, regarding what they represent?

- 3/5ths Compromise (African Americans being 3/5ths of a person – 1787)

- Is there a difference between the generations of Thomas Jefferson (3rd President, 1801-1809) versus John C. Calhoun (7th Vice President, 1825-1832, and Senator From South Carolina, 1845-1850)? Think about the events of –Attempts to deal with slavery by Southerners before 1830: (1) Gabriel’s Rebellion, (2) American Colonization Society, and (3) Virginia’s “Haiti Plan.”

- Dred Scott Decision (Supreme Court Decision, 1857)

- Before the Civil War, it was against the law to teach African Americans how to read and write.

  1. Are events from the “Civil War” era relevant to this discussion, regarding what they represent?

- Alexander Stephen’s “Cornerstone Speech” giving the reason for the founding of the Confederacy.

  1. Are events from after the “Reconstruction” era relevant to this discussion, regarding what they represent?

- The rise of the K.K.K. and how that is identified with “white supremacy”; is this relevant to this discussion?

- What is the historical context of these Confederate statues?

  1. When were these monuments actually erected, and is this relevant?

- Jim Crow, Civil Rights Era, and times of great racial turmoil.