While Confederate Memorials Come Down, Confederate Holidays Continue

Pushes to take down confederate monuments have increased, but at the same time, some states are pushing to further recognize the Confederacy.

In recent years, some states have recognized April as Confederate Heritage Month – a time designated to remember the history of the Confederate States of America.

The Confederacy was born in 1861 when a group of southern states seceded from the Union after battles over slavery. The Confederacy effectively lost the Civil War in April, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union forces at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

There have been pushes to take down Confederate memorials from public spaces across the country over the past few years, as many people consider them to be symbols of racism and oppression. A 2022 Southern Poverty Law Center report identified 377 Confederate memorials that have been removed since 2015.