Monroe School Name Change Petition

Some thoughts on why Monroe School should NOT be renamed... Who among us does not have something in our past that we would prefer our acquaintances and friends not use as the sole basis of assessing our worth as a human being? James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, was a man of many accomplishments--many of which were critical to making our country what it is today. He served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War and was wounded in the Battle of Trenton; he was instrumental in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, adding 828,000 square miles to the United States; and he served as Secretary of State and Secretary of War under President James Madison during the War of 1812, which finalized our independence from Great Britain. As President, he concluded treaties which extend the reach of the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific and he promulgated the Monroe Doctrine, stopping any further European colonization efforts in North or South America. Castigating James Monroe for the moral values of his time is absurd, an egregious example of presentism, insisting on applying modern values and concepts to past people and events. Moreover, there is risk in expunging references to historical realities. As Winston Churchill said, "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Renaming because of someone's discomfort is a slippery slope--where does it stop? Four of our first five Presidents owned slaves: Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. Should Washington, D.C., Washington State, Washington High School in Minneapolis, Jefferson Avenue in Saint Paul (which runs a few blocks from Monroe School), Jefferson City, Missouri (that state's capitol city), Madison, Wisconsin (that state's capitol city), and many more all be renamed? What about our currency? Should Washington be removed from the quarter and one-dollar bill? Should Jefferson be removed from the nickel and the two-dollar bill? Should Madison be removed from the $5000 bill? Thinking that a name change will improve the academic achievement of African American children is like putting frosting on cardboard and believing that it is cake. Just a few of the problems that need addressing first are: • Parenting - If parents do not value education and communicate this to their children, no name change is going to cause their children to value education. • Role Models - African Americans have achieved success in many areas (not just sports). Children need to be taught about these people. Justices Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court and inventors George Washington Carver and Lewis Howard Latimer are just a few examples. • Peer Pressure - As long as it is "too white to study", there will be underperformance among African American children.

There were 12 US presidents who had slaves. By the standards of our time this is wrong. By the standards of their time it was considered to be normal in most of the southern states. This is part of history. It does nothing to negate the fact that these presidents served in that office and did the job of our president. To villify these presidents for engaging in an accepted practice of their time seems inappropriate without knowing how these slaves were treated. To say a school named after a certain president reflects that he is a bad person for engaging in a practice that was, unfortunately, accepted during their time. I attended Monroe during the time of many race riots and the assassination of Martin Luther King. There were even race riots in St. Paul. It was announced over the PA while I was in typing class that King had been killed. The school was not practicing racist activities and I don't believe they ever have. Monroe hasn't changed because someone realized that President Monroe had slaves.

So sad to hear and read about this. Even though I did not personally attend Monroe, both may parents did. As a young child and even to this day, I will look at their Doctrine Yearbooks over and over again, just trying to imagine what their life was like growing up on West 7th and attending Monroe High in the early 60’s. The below was written in their Sr. Yearbook, over the school’s symbol “the ship” on the first page: To Monroe we pledge our love and loyalty forever, Sing the praise extol thy fame where good friends get together Voices rise, spirits soar, fly our banner high! Hail Monroe we promise to thy honor glorify! In future years where’re we go our mem’ries will burn bight Of hallowed halls and high school days and graduation night Our last wish before we go when the end is nigh With honor, strength, and dignity may God bless Monroe High! Daughter of Alum, Class of 63

Although no longer a community school, Monroe is a school supported by a community. Rarely can an individual walk into a local restaurant, bar or other established business in our West End Community without confronting photo's, clothing paraphernalia and all sorts of mementos proudly displayed in every nook, cranny, hallway or wall. At barbecue's, booya's and numerous neighborhood gatherings, Monroe school eventually pops-up in conversation. There is this thread woven through time and by tradition, forming a strong fabric into which the Monroe school is deeply meshed. for generations it has been the heart of our west-end community. We desire nothing more than to see that thread continue weaving and growing our community fabric. We should openly welcome all new individuals, ideas and concepts to further that continued growth. This does not mean we chip away at the fabric already woven and ripping out the heart only to leave the fabric to wither and die. Loss of part of the whole renders a concept useless like the proverbial lost sock from the cloths drier. One is no good without the other. Community without roots, a center or support, in other words a heart, will be rendered useless and ineffective. Think about other communities where this has happened then weep or stand up and support what we all love about the soul of our west-end and keep its beating hear intact. BTW (by-the-way) those lost socks are never ever retrieved !

It gives me pause when zealots of any persuasion would redefine history to suit some new perspective using a set of moral standards not relative to the base issue. Monroe obeyed the law in force. His greatness is marked by establishing the US as a world power and securing the western hemisphere from European colonialization. This was the Monroe my school was named for, not a planter who used legal, local, agricultural practice which was banned 34 years after his death. Slavery was a horrible condition, in existance since the days of Abraham. Jews, Muslims, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Modern Europeans all had slaves. Monroe must be remembed not for farming methods but as a Great President, for that was the essence of the man.

I'm trying to wrap my arms around this profound decision of a few individuals when thousands of others have attended and graduated from this school, and no one asked for feedback from them before rushing into trying to be on the bandwagon of this heroic idea. Really? What's next? We can rename streets, throw out those offensive history books from schools, rename cities, states etc; the list goes on and on, doesn't it? I give you the benefit of my doubt. Maybe you didn't think this through or received enough feedback from all affected parties before making this decision. Not too late to rethink this decision and make a better one. Vote it down!

Political Correctness run amouck one again,,,,

Where would Minnesota be without the Louisiana Purchase? Thank you President Monroe! We Twin Citians really owe everything to you!!

You can't change history with a name change. Are all the school names in St. Paul being changed? Is the street name Monroe CT. right by Monroe being changed? I believe I heard ONE person objected to the name Monroe and the PTA jumped all over it...so very wrong. You were not even going to bring the community into this until it hit Facebook. There are many of us that have grown up here and went to Monroe. I for one graduated in 65' from Monroe and my mother in the 40's. Also it was never called James Monroe, always Monroe. I vote to keep the name as is, drop the James, my yearbook only says Monroe not James Monroe.