It Never Ends! Battle lines drawn over Confederate tribute at Georgia's Stone Mountain
The imposing figures of three Confederate leaders, carved into the granite face of Georgia’s Stone Mountain, have loomed over the landscape since the 1970s, a silent tribute to the Southern Cause
The imposing figures of three Confederate leaders, carved into the granite face of Georgia’s Stone Mountain, have loomed over the landscape since the 1970s, a silent tribute to the Southern Cause
Supporters view the monument, often likened to Mount Rushmore, as an honour to those who fought and died for the Confederacy in the 1861–65 conflict. Critics, however, have long regarded it as a symbol of white supremacy and say its meaning must be confronted and placed in proper historical context in the pursuit of racial justice.
To that end, the Republican-led state government has allocated $14 million to redesign the museum at the mountain’s base, with the aim of presenting a more balanced interpretation of what the vast bas-relief carving represents.
“The past is ugly,” said Reverend Abraham Mosley, the first Black chairman of Stone Mountain Park’s governing board, referring to the Confederacy’s ties to slavery and the South’s enduring legacy of racism — themes the current museum downplays.
However, the project now faces a lawsuit that could halt progress just months before the new museum is due to open. The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), a group dedicated to defending the Southern cause, argue that state law mandates Stone Mountain to stand as a “tribute to the bravery and heroism” of those who fought for the Confederacy. The planned redesign, they claim, would dishonour that legacy and breach the law.
Depicting Confederate President Jefferson Davis alongside Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, all on horseback, the monument has long…