Names making news

Local residents decision-makers on naming

When the shots rang out at Fort Sumter back in 1861, it was in and of itself not a nation-changing event of extraordinary proportions. The fort in Charleston, S.C., was named by the U. S. government after Revolutionary War hero Thomas Sumter, whose contributions to the independence of the nation were well regarded. Sumter, by the way, advanced a plan during wartime to pay soldiers and compensate new enlistees — with slaves confiscated from those loyal to the English king.

That last piece of information very well might today negate any honorable treatment for Gen. Sumter, who went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. In his latter years, he took a stand for what later became known as “states’ rights.”

It’s a little ironic, then, that a fort named after Sumter became the unbearable representation of a federal government secessionists considered to be overreaching in its power. Despite the exchange of gunfire, no one — Union or Confederate — died in the battle.

Such good fortune did not last. The Battle of Fort Sumter sent shock waves across the land — the United States and the newly formed Confederate States. By the time hostilities ended in 1865, more than 600,000 Americans were dead.

One can never know how far one act will influence others, in both good and bad ways. And we’re learning that today in a modern debate over the nation’s history and how memorials to the past are dealt with. A gathering of racist advocates of “white power” in Charlottesville has amplified the longstanding struggle Americans have had with monuments related to the Confederacy and the men who fought on the side of the South.

That issue won’t be settled with this collection of words today. But the ripples from Charlottesville continue to spark discussions in dozens of states, and not just over statues. In Arkansas, there are schools named after Robert E. Lee, David O. Dodd (hanged by the Union Army as a Confederate spy), Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and others linked to the Southern rebellion. A town, Forrest City, is even named after a Confederate general, Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Reporting in this paper shows no movement to start renaming all these facilities, towns and even counties named after Civil War figures. But it’s easy to understand how these names have become a topic of conversation in the midst of modern-day sensitivities and current events.

In the late 1930s, the British government produced a motivational poster designed to buck up a populace worried about impending war with Germany. “Keep calm and carry on,” it advised, originating a phrase that’s gained new popularity in recent years.

It’s excellent advice.

As time marches on, residents naturally need to have discussions about what best represents their communities. And not surprisingly, what worked a hundred years ago may not work in 2017.

This much is clear: The decisions rest within each community. What is right for Memphis or Charlottesville or Dallas won’t necessarily be right for Bentonville or Springdale or Little Rock.

Such self- examinations can be healthy. A little soul searching can be a good thing. And there’s not just one answer to the questions being asked. It’s not so simple that a onesize-fits-all response will work. But if local residents have concerns, they’re worthy of consideration in the search for remedies.