At Top Confederate General's Home Near Washington, Enslaved Voices Elevated
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published September 02, 2021 | 10:00 AM
Arlington, United States, Sept 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :Statues of Robert E. Lee have been toppled as the United States grapples with its racist past but on a hill overlooking the nation's capital, the top Confederate general's house has been totally revamped.
As Washington embarked on its usual humid, sweaty summer, "Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial," as the home is officially called, began welcoming visitors once again in early June after three years and more than $12 million in renovations.
The house's most impactful changes, however, were not just matters of brick and mortar: The home reopened with an aim of providing a more inclusive historical interpretation, its caretakers say.
Lee is a highly controversial figure: As the best-known Confederate general during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865, he helped lead the secessionist Southern states against the Union, in particular to preserve slavery.
Walking across the estate in late August, Aaron LaRocca, a ranger with the National Park Service, said that telling "a more holistic and inclusive story," by elevating the voices of those enslaved here, was a major point.
Unlike stone-cold statues, the mansion and its grounds -- which are part of the National Park Service and located inside Arlington National Cemetery -- reflect the real lives of actual people.
Telling the story of the more than 100 enslaved residents meant not only better incorporating their stories inside the mansion, but also creating new exhibits that fill two large buildings that were slave quarters. It also meant featuring particular individuals' histories.
- Descendants and ancestors - Steve Hammond is a descendant of one of the enslaved families and has been volunteering at the house for approximately eight years, helping to tell the story of the residents "who many people are not familiar with." Understanding Arlington House not only means tangling with the complicated history of Lee, but dipping a toe in the entire American saga.
At the base of the hill where the house sits is the late president John F.
Kennedy's grave. The iconic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also nearby, as are hundreds of thousands of buried veterans.
The house itself was first built by George Washington's adopted grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, as an homage to the former president. His daughter, Mary Anna Custis, married Lee.
However, it is through Parke Custis' enslaved daughter, Maria Carter, whom he fathered with an enslaved woman, that Hammond is connected to Arlington House. He is a descendant of her husband's family.
Today, the descendants of those who lived at the house -- both the enslaved and the Lees -- meet routinely.
For many involved in expanding the site's narrative, a major sticking point remains Arlington House's official status as "The Robert E. Lee Memorial." "The fact that we recognize it as a memorial to Robert E. Lee seems really out of date, especially in terms of where we are as a country today," said Hammond, 65, who is also a trustee for the Arlington House Foundation.
US congressman Don Beyer, whose district includes Arlington House, says he plans to reintroduce legislation nixing the house's Lee memorial status this session after a previous failed attempt, while philanthropist David Rubenstein, who funded the renovations, has urged the redesignation.
During the Civil War, the Union buried soldiers on Lee's property no doubt to deter his return, giving rise to Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 veterans and their dependents are buried today.
Congress officially recognized the site as a Lee memorial in 1955, citing his efforts after the war to reunify the country and authorized its current name in 1972.
"Memorials are a problem because a memorial is never about history, a memorial is about memory," said Denise Meringolo, a professor of history at University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
The idea of a joint educational museum and memorial is one that "complicates what we think we're supposed to be doing there."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
AJK government moves to implement a broad-based tourism uplift plan in picturesq ..
Three arrested for killing colleague in Pindigheb
SFA sealed Rukana Dairy, Gharib Nawaz hotel
Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) collects over Rs 4.12m from 128 defaulte ..
Man killed over old feud in Hassanabdal
First phase of Tajir Dost Scheme limited to only registration: FBR
USAID’s locally-led development in education, health transforms Buner, Upper D ..
SA Gardens, Wapda quality for National Challenge Cup semis
First international dental conference at KDC concludes
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif reviews health reforms
KSrelief distributes 810 food baskets in DI Khan
Russia says it captured two more villages in Ukraine
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Concerted efforts urged to ease traffic flow on city roads
3 days ago -
Land degradation: A threat to food security
3 days ago -
Revamping health sector, a gigantic task ahead
3 days ago -
American band promotes intercultural harmony thru music fusions
4 days ago -
Waste Management – A persistent challenge for MWMC
5 days ago -
Experts for ending child labour
7 days ago
-
Labour Day - A reminder for better facilities to workers
7 days ago -
Stage Drama Mohabati Manhoon presents in Arts council Larkana
10 days ago -
Wheat farmers in a fix on price, procurement mechanism
10 days ago -
Modern tools to help transform crime investigation procedures
10 days ago -
Sanam Marvi captivates audience with mesmerizing performance
11 days ago -
Modern Education Techniques: A pathway to achieve economic development
12 days ago