Before about the 1890s in the US there were very few monuments built to anything specifically because early Americans did not want anything to be revered above the institution of democracy. That in and of itself was people’s source of patriotism.

In order to control people during tumultuous times of social and economic strife during the 20th century the government started building tons of monuments and designating places as historical, specifically in order to push the myth of American progress and narratives of patriotism as methods of controlling the populace. Many of the monuments that you will see throughout the country were built either following the Great Depression or during the Civil Rights Movement/ Cold War era. Local places bought into this government push because of the rise of auto tourism, creating an opportunity to make a big business out of retelling history.

Of course neither the government nor people building tourist traps want anyone to remember the past for what it was, and instead would rather us exercise a highly selective memory. Monuments rarely provide any actual lessons about history, nor do they tell us the hidden truths about why they were constructed. Some of these monuments need to be torn down, but many of them would better serve society if they were given context that explains both the actual history they obscure as well as the underhanded creation of the monument. Its the only way to undo the damage that monuments do to society, especially how they separate us from the actual past by presenting us with feel-good bullshit that doesnt connect to our actual lived experiences and relationships to historical events