Silent Sam Turns 100

This Sunday, June 2, 2013, the Confederate Memorial, better known as Silent Sam, turns 100 years old.    The statue was dedicated with great fanfare and celebration a hundred years ago on June 2, 1913.  Over the recent decades, Silent Sam … Continue reading

This Sunday, June 2, 2013, the Confederate Memorial, better known as Silent Sam, turns 100 years old.    The statue was dedicated with great fanfare and celebration a hundred years ago on June 2, 1913.  Over the recent decades, Silent Sam has become a symbol of controversy, caught between those that believe that it is an enduring symbol of racism and white supremacy and defenders who contend that it is a memorial to those UNC students who died and fought for the Confederate States of America. Could it be both?

Below are digital copies of some documents from the dedication and about UNC’s involvement in the statue’s erection.  Read the text and decide.

Page from Julian S. Carr's dedication speech, June 2, 1913

Page from Julian S. Carr’s dedication speech, June 2, 1913

The next page of Carr's dedication speech

The next page of Carr’s dedication speech

Letter from UNC President Francis P. Venable regarding the design of the Confederate Memorial ("Silent Sam"), February 25, 1910

Letter from UNC President Francis P. Venable regarding the design of the Confederate Memorial (“Silent Sam”), February 25, 1910