TO THE EDITOR:
I’d like to respond to Mr. Horne’s letter regarding Silent Sam (“Silent Sam a monument to pre-Civil War enslavement,” Jan. 18).
First, the statue was not “built to commemorate the…Confederate States of America and…secession” as Mr. Horne would lead you to believe. Silent Sam honors “the sons of the university who entered the war…in answer to the call of their country,” a quote which is displayed on the statue. This is not Mr. Horne’s “monument to violence and racism.” It is a memorial to the students who abandoned their studies to fight for their home state, even though many opposed secession. It is also a testament to the University’s endurance in a time that enrollment dropped approximately 85 percent between 1859 and 1864. Mr. Horne, if you truly think slavery was the sole issue that led to secession and 620,000 deaths, your knowledge of American history does not pass your “giggle test.”
Second, I wonder how Silent Sam is a beacon for violent, armed revolt when everyone with any familiarity with the statue or UNC knows he does not have an ammunition bag (hence the nickname “Silent”). The only aspect I agree on with Mr. Horne is that armed revolt, the same method that helped found this country, remains an option to prevent an oppressive government.
Mr. Horne, please research your opinions carefully before you write your next letter and degrade such a worthy newspaper and honorable University.
David Sharpe
Junior
History
