Monuments To Hate or Heritage?

Cassandra james, dei manager

Recently the infamous Nottoway Plantation has burned to the ground. Based on the news you would never know that Nottoway Plantation is the largest surviving antebellum plantation house in the Southern United States. John Randolph commissioned renowned architect Henry Howard of New Orleans with the task of designing the grand mansion. Randolph ordered all his slaves to build his house. Handmade bricks were baked in kilns by enslaved African Americans, and 40 carpenters, brick masons, and plumbers were hired by Howard, who lived in tents at the construction site while doing their work. The original goal of John was to create a cotton plantation, but because he wanted to make the most profit, he transitioned to a sugar cane plantation. After his death in 1883, he willed this plantation to his wife, who sold it in 1889, prior to her death in 1904. At its peak, Nottoway held 155 enslaved people. At one point, John increased his holdings to include 7,116 acres and 176 enslaved people.

Despite the atrocities that occurred on the grounds of this plantation, people continued to get married and held proms there. They are actively choosing to erase the true history in favor of a whitewashed, more palatable version. One that fits the aesthetic of their big day.
The reaction to the destruction of the plantation was similar to the reactions when confederate monuments were coming down over a decade ago. On one side you have those who choose to see these monuments as a tribute to the past, to their heritage and do not understand why people are indifferent to their destruction. On the other, you have those who view these plantations and statues as a celebration of a dark time in the history of this country, as a celebration of hatred and division. Most of these statues were erected after the Civil War, with the majority of them being erected between 1900 and 1920 and 1950s and the 60s. You’ll notice that these dates coincide with the enactment of Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights movements. They were not put up to celebrate a heritage, but a call back to a time of servitude and violence.
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If we insist on paying homage to a time gone by, we need to do it appropriately and in a way that tells the whole ugly truth, regardless of how uncomfortable and unpleasant it is to hear. Anything less is a disserve to the people who fought and died on those grounds.