As a child I played on the Civil War monuments, markers, and memorabilia on the grounds of Missionary Ridge Elementary School. I never gave much thought to what they symbolized other than the war itself. It was recess, and I was just playing. I do know that none of them venerated a particular person, but I have been grappling with how to think about the monuments to and statues of some famous or some might say infamous Americans that are being defaced or pulled down.