Read the article found at the link below. After reading, please respond with a well-written paragraph that states your position on the idea and backs your position up with facts.  Remember, you are being graded on both grammar and content.

http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2012/08/monument-of-first-kkk-leader-stirs-trouble-in-selma-alabama/
bill glossop
9/17/2012 03:57:59 am

I dont think the monument should be built. For older african americans the monument could be offensive, this was a bad memory and time in their life, and also theres no reason for it, why should we celebrate the time when we made people do our dirty work and beat them if they didnt?

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Steven Wolfe
9/17/2012 03:58:28 am

This statue should not be up in Selma, Alabama because it shows we are supporting this General who killed black people during the civil war, which is wrong to even think about putting up the statue.

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tyler davis
9/17/2012 03:58:42 am

I think that they should take it down because it is just reminding the U.S. about the segregation times. And plus, the KKK is a bad group.

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Veronica Klein
9/17/2012 03:58:58 am

I think that rebuilding this monument is wrong. While I can see that Nathan Forrest was a strong general who led his troops to a victory, I think that by killing black prisoners as well as women and children he does not deserve to be remembered. We should be building monuments to people that fight honorably and are not racist, instead of monuments to the first Grand Master of the Ku Klux Klan, however a good general he may have been.

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Chris Hopkns
9/18/2012 02:37:05 am

I think that the construction should go on. It’s just a statue representing a person. It’s no different than some Germans wanting to put up a statue of Hitler. Now of course it’s never going to happen because no one wants one. It’s a free country and people should quite complaining about a statue for Forrest. I think the African Americans are just saying “oh that’s racist.” They are always being racist. I don’t think that there’s such a thing as being racist. Just let sleeping dogs lie.

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Nate Pewoski
9/18/2012 02:37:37 am

I believe that it is wrong for the Selma city council to continue to let the building of this monument happen. I just think it is morally wrong because this man Nathan Forrest did indeed help with the killing of many innocent African Americans in the late 1800s. There some supporters that say he was a civil war hero, but I think he just did more bad things than good. So if I was a part of the Selma city council I would vote to stop the building of the monument.

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Dillon Anderson
9/18/2012 02:40:35 am

The monument of Nathan Forrest is just a dedication to one man. The senator of Alabama wants the monument gone, but that won't change how people feel about the situation. If they put up the monument, good for them. If not, the people supporting the monument will get angry at the government. The monument should be put up and no harm will come to anyone. Live and let live

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Grace Meade
9/18/2012 02:45:57 am

I believe the monument should not be built. It’s a terrible reminder to many people who have experienced or have loved ones killed by the KKK and leaders like General Nathan Forrest. That time period was a very gray point in American history and most have tried to forget this what happened. If people are going to be offended by the monument then I’m not sure it would be worth building.

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alexis morgan
9/18/2012 03:06:47 am

I think that the monument should be built; it may be one of the last things the Friends of Forest will have left of him. It also represents what they believe in. The same as some have churches, others have temples, and they have their statue to represent who they are. I say let them keep building the monument so they have it to represent them, and also one day it can be a part of history.

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Addsion Millard
9/19/2012 03:19:52 am

It is ridiculous to think that a state senator from Alabama would waste time and effort on removing a statue, regardless of who it’s of. The people of Selma are overreacting in a big way. If a few rednecks want to honor someone they consider to be a war hero, then let them. It is there 1st amendment right.

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Bo Morgan
9/19/2012 03:25:45 am

I think the monument should be built because we as Americans have to keep reminding ourselves what our ancestors did wrong, so we never make the same mistakes. If we keep pushing things like slavery under the rug and try to forget about it, eventually no one will know how bad slavery actually was. So by keeping the Forest monument, it is a constant reminder how bad and racist everything was in the south back then. Even though Forest killed women and children, he was still a great leader. He was just a leader for the wrong team.

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Megan Kidder
9/19/2012 03:27:32 am

I think that the fact that they are going to make a monument if the leader of the KKK in Alabama is wrong. One because they are putting the monument in one of the states that had the hardest time in the civil war. That is where slavery was the worst, and there going to put the leader of the KKK, a black hating group, in that state is not right. If we are going to deal with fact that the civil war happened and learn from it then we shouldn’t put a monument of the leader of the KKK up.

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Katy Wallace
9/19/2012 03:28:03 am

I don’t believe that the statue of Nathan Forrest should be rebuilt. It’s a horrible reminder to African Americans, and to us, about what happened during the Civil War. It’s not right to honor somebody who was the leader to kill African Americans, women, and children. Many people in Selma don’t want the statue to be rebuilt, including the state senator.

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Tyler Falls
9/20/2012 02:33:23 am

I do not believe that this statue should be set up in Selma, Alabama. I think that if we did allow the statue to be constructed that it would seem that we are saying we don’t care that the General killed black people. And I think this would cause a riot with black people. It might seem like a good idea to some people but to me all I think it’s going to bring is headaches.

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Corey Robins
9/20/2012 02:40:17 am

I believe that putting the statue up could be offensive to some people and not to others I think they should put it up not to celebrate Forrest or his people but to celebrate the American history and anyone that does not like it can just not look at it. I think that it could be offensive to African Americans but at the same time they could look at it as something they have overcome. It all depends on the way you look at it.

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Leah Czinder
9/20/2012 03:00:40 am

I think that the monument should be built. The general is an important historical figure. Although it could be offensive to African Americans, Confederate General Nathan Forrest played a major role in the history of Alabama. There was already a monument there to begin with so it's silly that people are getting upset about it now. There is no reason to stop the building of the monument.

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Kayla Kalmink
9/20/2012 06:56:38 am

I think the monument should not be built. It should not be built because it reminds use of the past and it is Alabama. The KKK should put the monument somewhere else even though the KKK started in the south. They could leave it and see what happens to it.

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Lennon Gildea
9/20/2012 07:13:00 am

I do not support the monument of the ku klux klan. The reason is that it would show that we support the general that killed african americans. I think that museams are enough to show ku klux klan history

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Zak Price
9/21/2012 03:06:26 am

Hi Mrs. george i believe that the constuction of the satue shoould not continue because to construct a monument to this man means that you respected and aprroved of the actions that he took in his life.

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Amber Snore
9/21/2012 03:08:20 am

I believe there shouldn't be a monument in Salma, Alabama. I understand that he did live and he was an important part of history but to me, it seems like it's less of a way to recognize someone and more of a shrine. The damage the KKK did to society can't be erased or forgotten but it also shouldn't be congratulated either, a lot of people died by their hand, especially in Alabama where slavery and mass killings of African Americans was common.

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Chris Harn
9/21/2012 03:09:26 am

I think the construction should be halted because the outrage and vandalism of the constructed monument will render the construction a waste of money in the end anyways. Also it will be a huge offense to the local African American population the site even said a petition has already been started to halt the construction.

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Todd Fox
9/21/2012 03:12:44 am

The contruction of the monument is full of controversy. Yes it is commemorating the first great wizard, but to some people it is a horrid reminder of what the KKK did. I believe that rightfully it should be built, but building it and keeping it up may be tough.

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Jon Wilcox
9/21/2012 03:59:01 am

I do not think that the statue of Nathan Forrest should be built even though he was a war hero! He was a leader in the Ku Klux Klan and murdered innocent people! You should not get a statue for committing crimes! I also think that the statue should be halted by the city, even though they claim not to own the specific spot that it is being built. It kind of seems like the city was trying to find a way to stop the building of the statue!

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