The Hamilton Spectator

Leave John A. in history books, not Gore Park

I was thoroughly disappointed to see a letter writer in the June 10 Spectator assert that those who want to remove statues of Sir John A. Macdonald also want to remove his name from history books. I have seen this claim trotted out again and again whenever statues are in debate, and it is no less ill-founded now than it was then. The purpose of a history book is to educate. If written correctly (which sadly many of the ones in our schools are not), they would provide the full unvarnished truth about Canada’s historical figures. We would learn of both Macdonald’s accomplishments and his atrocities, both of which are important to understanding how Canada came to be the country it is today. The purpose of a statue, by contrast, is to glorify. We are putting Macdonald on a literal pedestal and showing him off to the world like he’s something to be proud of. This needs to stop. Macdonald is an architect of genocide, and should be taught, not honoured. He belongs in the history books. Not in Gore Park. Alexander Shea, Hamilton

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2021-06-15T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-15T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thespec.pressreader.com/article/281788517009445

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