Argumentative Essay Samples

Monument Essay

  Did you know that Teddy Roosevelt was also the father of the modern U.S. Navy?. People are taking down statues because people are sensitive about everything that happened in the past with people back in history. Teddy had a statue in NY, Hampshire. People want to take it down but we shouldn’t. Teddy loved all races of men, women, and children. Theodore Roosevelt should have his statue kept up because Teddy was a naturalist and He helped the Sherman Antitrust Act.

  The first reason, Teddy was a naturalist. This was very interesting to find out about. This evidence says that he did all he could to stop the overgrazing of animals who ate grass; Elk, deer, bunnies, etc. according to NPS, Teddy saw the effects of overgrazing and “suffered the loss of his ranches because of if.”

  The second reason, Theodore helped pass the Sherman Antitrust Act. I’m very surprised that he joined into it, making it official. This evidence says that he responded to making the Sherman Antitrust Act. According to Britannica, as a way to regulate interstate commerce, Roosevelt activated the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, “Supreme Court’s ruling of 1895 that the measure did not apply to combinations in manufacturing.’’

  Despite what Teddy has done for national parks, some people claim that Teddy was racist. Well, I can’t agree with this. This evidence states that Teddy had said that we would be better off with equality if we had just started equality when he was president. According to History.com, Roosevelt stated, regarding racial equality that “morality and thrift among the colored men can be raised then those same virtues among whites, already assumed to be more advanced, would rise to an even higher degree.”

  We learn a lot about Theodore Roosevelt today. The information we have learned was that he was a naturalist, always trying to help nature. Theodore helped pass the Sherman Antitrust Act, helping with trades so everyone gets fairness. These are the reasons why we should keep the Theodore Roosevelt statue up.

should a statue be taken down? Recently, statues honoring representative figures have been toppled all over the country. It’s up to people to decide whether they should be taken down or remain standing. The statue of Satan, or otherwise known as Baphomet, should continue to remain where it is and not be placed into a more public place because why it was created and what it represents.

 Statues are built to provide knowledge and honor. According to skulpturhalle, “These objects serve as a reminder of what was, what is and what could be … Statues convey and perpetuate honor. Consequently, no matter how important their historical role, villains simply do not merit statues”. They are created for example and become greater knowledge for future generations. So why would a statue be taken down? It would be removed due to an opposing force to the honor that statue represents. The Statue of Satan / Baphomet does not resemble any kind of honor.

 This statue was created in defiance to the 10 Commandments statue that stood in front of the Oklahoma City Supreme Court. The people wanted it to stand beside the 10 Commandments to show they have the same privileges as any other religion, and can do accordingly. The statue of Satan / Baphomet was donated to Oklahoma City Supreme Court after the statue of the Ten Commandments had been donated and placed outside of the Court. According to The Satanic Temple’s web page, “The Oklahoma City Supreme Court ordered the removal of the Ten Commandments statue because Oklahoma State law prohibits the use of state property to further religions. The offer to donate the Baphomet statue to Oklahoma was then withdrawn”. According to them, the statue is currently on display to the public at Salem Art Gallery in Salem, Massachusetts. At least until it is placed with other religious monuments on public property.

 Daniel Luzer states, “The statue would apparently depict the Prince of Darkness “as Baphomet, a goat-headed figure with horns, wings and a long beard that's often used as a symbol of the occult. …Satan is sitting in a pentagram-adorned throne with smiling children next to him”. Children are known as the future. To depict them on a statue represents the idea of no fear. The torch on his head represents knowledge. The main idea of the symbols are to say ‘Don’t be afraid, learn wisdom and knowledge.’ Almost every statue that depicts children is built to teach. Whether that be peace or fear. Without proper description on it, the children could be seen as a way to convince priority to passers by.

 The First Amendment requires that the US government must treat all religions equally. It states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”. The people of the Church of Satan are under this Amendment and thus have the right to exercise their religion freely, without the interference of the government. Even with this protection security this statue, within the same Amendment, we have the right to freedom of speech and can petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Or in other words, the right to make a complaint or seek assistance from the government.

 Statues are built to last through harsh weather and time. The statues from the past represent people from those times. According to Serina Sandhu, “historians say that statues themselves are not history – rather they are a symbol about the time in which they were first erected”. Dr Jessica Melody stated, “Statues tell us far more about the times in which they were created – the views, values, hopes and anxieties of people at the time who orchestrated their construction – than they do the pasts they are supposed to represent. They can reveal the ways in which the past is used and abused and the mythologies perpetuated through their creation”. The statue of Satan/Baphomet would stand as view, value, hope, and anxiety of the people in our generation. Do we really want a statue of satan or baphomet to represent people in our time period?

  To fix this improper representation of us I think they would need a way to fix some of the symbols on it and find a way that it doesn't represent us or just represent the people in that specific area. Another option would be to put a plaque on it stating what people it represents and why for future generations to see and understand what it means. This way there is no confusion, especially if it is to remain inside of a museum.

Removal of Monuments

Why is it that only now, that statues that are deemed ‘‘controversial’’ are being vandalized, taken down, or broken? Since June 10th of this year, when the statue of Jefferson Davis was taken down, more and more statues that have been deemed ‘‘controversial’’ are being taken down, and it seems that people with a specific mentality are responsible. It is claimed that they are taking down the statues and monuments because they are deemed “symbols of racism and hate” (Ebrahimji, 2020). Is this a logical course of action?

 I believe that the taking down of statues regardless of controversy should not be taken down, because they were built in recognition of a figure that was, at a time important to the people and their ideology. Examples of this can be seen throughout history, particularly major history, which is, in the words of Sir Winston Churchill, “…written by the victors” (Churchill, 1948); thus why we see monuments that glorify the Confederacy, and other such ‘‘controversial’’ subjects and figures. Though it seems to me just this alone is not enough to influence such actions to be taken, rather I think there to be more than just this. 

 I believe that demagogic fascism is being utilized to achieve the removal of ‘‘controversial’’ monuments. Briefly explaining its meaning, fascism is the act of using violence to achieve an end goal; the ends justifies the means, and the intent is the law (“Fascism.”). Demagoguery is “political activity or practices that seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument” ( “Demagoguery”). Combining the two words, we have demagogic fascism, which is the ideology of utilizing demagogic tactics to influence a group of people to use fascism to achieve the goals of whomever may be influencing said people. But, there would be no reason that tactics of demagoguery would work unless there were already feelings of resentment toward the monuments representing ‘‘controversial’’ figures. 

 That being said, I am arguing against the removal of monuments, thought there are many who believe that the removal of monuments is not only doing the right thing but is beneficial to our society as a whole, because they are removing something that is offensive and could promote hate (Wright, 2020). However, I do not see this as the case, as the history represented in some of the monuments I agree that they need not be glorified, but they also need not be removed. History is history, and it does not chose sides; the choosing of sides is up to those that document the past (Stuttaford, 2018). 

 With that all said, I reiterate my above statements: monuments are being removed because they are being deemed as ‘‘controversial’’ by the use of demagogic fascism, and it may seem as the right thing to do. But this is not the case, as history does not pick sides, rendering the argument that the monuments are “racist history” (Helber, 2020), illogical.

Works Cited

“History is written by the victors” - Winston Churchill, 1948

“Whoever controls the image and information of the past determines what and how the future generations will think; whoever controls the information and images of the present determines how those same people will view the past. He who controls the past commands the future. He who commands the future conquers the past.” - George Orwell, 1949

“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books—books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon? '” - Dan Brown, 2003

Ebrahimji, Alisha, et al. “These Confederate Statues Have Been Removed since George Floyd's Death.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1  July 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/06/09/us/confederate-statues-removed-george-floyd-trnd/index.html.

Wright, Will. “Cities Want to Remove Toxic Monuments. But Who Will Take Them?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 June 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/06/18/us/confederate-statues-monuments-removal.html.

“Fascism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.

Helber, et al. “As Monuments Fall, How Does the World Reckon with a Racist Past?” National Geographic, 25 Aug. 2020, www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/06/confederate-monuments-fall-question-how-rewrite-history/

Stuttaford, Andrew. “History Doesn't Take Sides.” National Review, National Review, 10 Feb. 2018, www.nationalreview.com/corner/history-doesnt-take-sides/