This June 23, 2015 file photo shows a carving depicting Confederate Civil War figures Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, in Stone Mountain, Ga. The sculpture is America's largest Confederate memorial.

This June 23, 2015 file photo shows a carving depicting Confederate Civil War figures Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, in Stone Mountain, Ga.

Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore

The panel: 

Cynthia Spence, co-chair of Sociology and Anthropology, Spelman College 

Jim Galloway, @JimJournalist, retired columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Joe Crespino, @CrespinoJoe, Jimmy Carter Professor of History, Emory University

Sheffield Hale, President and CEO, The Atlanta History Center

 

The breakdown: 

1. The nation turns to the Carter Family. 

  • Tributes continue to pour in for former President Jimmy Carter, who entered hospice care over the weekend.

    • The 98-year-old is the oldest living president.

2. What are the origins of Stone Mountain?

  • Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis are the three Confederate leaders carved on the side of the mountain. 
  • Some people argue it's an ode to Confederate history, others say it's a symbol of white supremacy. 
  • The carving wasn't completed until the 1970s. 

LISTEN: Cynthia Spence on growing up around Stone Mountain as a Black family.

2. How can we contextualize the history of Stone Mountain?

  • It's a monument protected by Georgia law, and it would also cost millions to blast the faces of the Confederate leaders off the side of the mountain. 
  • Sheffield Hale says the next steps for the mountain are working on telling the accurate history of Georgia. You can watch the Atlanta History Center's documentary here.

LISTEN: Sheffield Hale on educating Stone Mountain's visitors.

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Axios' Emma Hurt joins the panel. 

Tags: Georgia  Politics  Georgia Politics  Atlanta  Macon  Savannah  Stone Mountain  Confederacy  Jimmy Carter