I went to one of many Robert E. Lee High Schools - Here is why I think we need to change the name.

I graduated in 1985 from Robert E. Lee High School in Midland Tx. I didn't know anything about Robert E. Lee when I attended the school other than the romanticized version found in Texas textbooks. It never occurred at the time to learn about Lee and it never occurred to me that the idea of naming a school after a confederate general might be hurtful to my fellow students. While this blog is about my school there isn't a doubt in my mind that most of this blog is going to be applicable to many of the schools in this country named after confederate generals. 

Before I get into the history of why the school is named after a confederate general I want to get one of the most popular (and weakest) arguments for keeping the name out of the way. It's a quote by George Santayana (often falsely attributed to Winston Churchill or others)...

Do you know who Benedict Arnold was? Of course you do... because you were taught who that was. Changing the name of a school or removing a statue will NOT make people forget the past. Glorifying the past is not the same as remembering it. Teach the past. Put it in museums and classrooms and make sure people learn real history. Naming schools after someone is an honor. Naming a school after someone who fought against his country is whitewashing. Would you feel comfortable with a school named after Benedict Arnold? Like it or not, it is exactly the same with regard to members of the confederacy.

People claim again and again that Lee fought for the south because he was a patriot, that might be 100% true, but it doesn't change the fact that by fighting for the south he was ipso facto fighting for the right of people to own other people. He took up arms against his country and Lincoln wanted him tried for treason but was talked out of it for the good of the country. After taking office in 1865 (after the assassination of Lincoln) Andrew Johnson pardoned most of the confederates who took part in the war, but not Robert E. Lee. Lee requested the pardon and swore the amnesty oath but Lee was not pardoned and his citizenship was never restored in his lifetime (it was eventually restored in 1975 by President Ford, 14 years after the school in Midland Texas opened in 1961. 

Robert E. Lee was not pardoned and his citizenship was never restored in his lifetime...

Do you know how the various schools ended up getting named after confederates in the first place? Because that is an actual story about forgetting and changing history. 

The war ended in 1865. After it was over Lee himself asked that there be no statues or commemorations of him (which means that this whole argument is ignoring HIS wishes). It was that way until 29 years later in 1894 a group called the United Daughters of the Confederacy came around spent all kinds of money to whitewash history. They were the first to claim the war was about states rights, but if you go and read the various Declarations of Secession of the southern states they all talk about two things, and two things only... the right to own slaves and the failure of the northern states to return runaway slaves. Those are the causes as listed in the actual texts that were used to succeed.

The Daughters spent money all over the country passing off a revisionist history of what happened in the war and glorified the south as if it was some noble cause. So when you look at where these statues and many of the schools come from it is not in any way remembering the actual history that was, it is honoring a lie... and as I said General Lee himself asked that it not be done.

“As regards the erection of such a monument as is contemplated,” Lee wrote of an 1866 proposal, “my conviction is, that however grateful it would be to the feelings of the South, the attempt in the present condition of the country, would have the effect of retarding, instead of accelerating its accomplishment; of continuing, if not adding to, the difficulties under which the Southern people labor.”

His own relatives still say he wouldn't want them and that they should be removed! Whether you admire Lee or not his wishes have been dishonored with every school name and every statue.

But what about our own school? It wasn't founded or funded by the Daughters like the Lee High in Tyler was... no, it was founded in 1961 as an all-white school after the supreme court had already said ruled that such schools were illegal in 1954. It wasn't until the civil rights movement that all-white schools started once again being named after confederates (I honestly don't think it was a coincidence).

It remained all-white until 1969. The only black people at Lee in 1968 were the cleaning staff. (if you doubt this the yearbooks are available online at classmates.com - I had been given the wrong dates once and as I want to know REAL HISTORY I went and checked the yearbooks to verify them myself). 

Lee High literally had to be forced to integrate. It was named Robert E. Lee High, not as some honor to General Lee (who I have pointed out at least twice DIDN'T WANT it) but as a direct dog whistle. It's a fake history and whether I or anyone else finds it hurtful or offensive shouldn't matter... it is hurtful and offensive to those whose family were once slaves and know they go to a school that daily glorifies a man who fought and killed his countrymen in order to keep it going. If it was really about history, we would all already know this information. It's never been about history. It's been about cleaning history. It's been about whitewashing. I loved my school. I'm proud of my accomplishments and the friends I made there, changing the name would not change those feelings,  not even a little.   

Feel free to leave your thoughts, I have tried to be respectful, I hope you will do the same.

If change is such a bad thing why'd they ever get rid of smoker's corner?

Here is the link to the actual texts of the documents of secession.