Summary: New Orleans on Monday began removing four monuments dedicated to the era of the Confederacy and its aftermath, capping a prolonged battle about the future of the memorials, which critics deemed symbols of racism and intolerance and which supporters viewed as historically important. Workers dismantled an obelisk, which was erected in 1891 to honor members of the Crescent City White League who in 1874 fought in the Reconstruction-era Battle of Liberty Place against the racially integrated New Orleans police and state militia, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a statement. The monument, which was sometimes used as a rallying point by David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan, has stirred debate for decades. Local leaders unsuccessfully tried to remove it in 1981 and 1993. Pieces of the compound were hauled away in a truck. Other monuments expected to be removed include a bronze statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in a traffic circle, named Lee Circle, in the city’s central business district since 1884; an equestrian statue of P.G.T. Beauregard, a Confederate general; and a statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy.
Analysis: This article was created on April 24, 2017 by Christopher Mele. Prior to reading the article, I knew about some instances of argument with confederate symbols, but had no idea about this. The author of the article creates an informative piece with an unbiased opinion on the matter. It was written for audiences to prove step by step there was change being made socially. It also called for the question of whether or not the symbols were merely historical and mattered more than their initial meaning.
Synthesis: The article can be connected to an instance happening in California. On August 21, 2014, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation last year prohibiting state agencies from selling or displaying items bearing the flag.
Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/us/new-orleans-confederate-statue.html?_r=0
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