Dublin Core
Title
University of Mississippi Confederate Statue
Description
Atop a monumentally tall pillar stands a statue of a Confederate soldier. With the soldier’s rifle standing upright in his right hand, the soldier tilts his head ever so slightly upward as if looking far into the distance with his left hand covering his eyes from the sun’s glare. This statue stands in Mississippi’s flagship state university the University of Mississippi. At least, it used to. The statue was moved in 2020 from its original location in front of a university entrance leading to its administration building to the campus’ cemetery honoring Confederate soldiers. This move comes after the tireless efforts of those in the university community attempting to have the statue removed.
In 2014 the University of Mississippi’s board decided to begin moving towards putting educational meaning behind their Confederate tokens as well as remove some altogether. This led to the creation and display of the original plaque seen in the display above. Along with this action came the renaming of the university’s Confederate themed streets such as “Confederate Drive” to “Chapel Lane.” There were mixed reactions from the Oxford community as it is long tied to Lost Cause ideology. In November 2020 the state of Mississippi changed its state flag containing the Confederate bars and stars to imagery of the state flower. One situation in which a display of hate was shown is when a group of unknown students tied a noose around the University of Mississippi's statue of James Meredith, the student who integrated the university in 1962.
In 2014 the University of Mississippi’s board decided to begin moving towards putting educational meaning behind their Confederate tokens as well as remove some altogether. This led to the creation and display of the original plaque seen in the display above. Along with this action came the renaming of the university’s Confederate themed streets such as “Confederate Drive” to “Chapel Lane.” There were mixed reactions from the Oxford community as it is long tied to Lost Cause ideology. In November 2020 the state of Mississippi changed its state flag containing the Confederate bars and stars to imagery of the state flower. One situation in which a display of hate was shown is when a group of unknown students tied a noose around the University of Mississippi's statue of James Meredith, the student who integrated the university in 1962.
Creator
United Daughters of Confederacy
Source
Ganucheau, Adam. “Group Sues to Remove Plaque at Ole Miss Confederate Statue.” Mississippi Today. Mississippi Today, May 13, 2019. https://mississippitoday.org/2016/10/14/group-sues-to-remove-plaque-at-ole-miss-confederate-statue/.
Middleton, Christian. “The Past Isn't Dead: UM's Winding Road to a Fight Over a Statue and a Cemetery.” Mississippi Free Press. Mississippi Free Press, November 21, 2020. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/4351/the-past-isnt-dead-ums-winding-road-to-a-fight-over-a-statue-and-a-cemetery/.
Pettus, Emily Wagster. “Ole Miss Moves Confederate Statue from Prominent Campus Spot.” AP NEWS. Associated Press, July 14, 2020. https://apnews.com/article/d5824d7b24b9d7af5976da60741d4a28. Roll, Jarod, and Anne Twitty.
“‘A Brief Historical Contextualization of the Confederate Monument at the University of Mississippi,’” 2016. https://www.academia.edu/31776710/_A_Brief_Historical_Contextualization_of_the_Confederate_Monument_at_the_University_of_Mississippi_.
Middleton, Christian. “The Past Isn't Dead: UM's Winding Road to a Fight Over a Statue and a Cemetery.” Mississippi Free Press. Mississippi Free Press, November 21, 2020. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/4351/the-past-isnt-dead-ums-winding-road-to-a-fight-over-a-statue-and-a-cemetery/.
Pettus, Emily Wagster. “Ole Miss Moves Confederate Statue from Prominent Campus Spot.” AP NEWS. Associated Press, July 14, 2020. https://apnews.com/article/d5824d7b24b9d7af5976da60741d4a28. Roll, Jarod, and Anne Twitty.
“‘A Brief Historical Contextualization of the Confederate Monument at the University of Mississippi,’” 2016. https://www.academia.edu/31776710/_A_Brief_Historical_Contextualization_of_the_Confederate_Monument_at_the_University_of_Mississippi_.
Date
1906-2020
Contributor
Rodolfo "RC" Calderon III (2020), Monique Corona (2021)
Rights
See rights information for each image.
Language
English
Type
Marble, Sculpture
Identifier
HIST 402A Fall 2020
Coverage
304 University Cir, University, MS 38677