Monuments are intended to evoke wonder and majesty. This week, they also sparked fierce debate – first in New Orleans, which began removing four Confederate statues, then across the nation as President Trump today ordered a review of two dozen sites declared national monuments. That amounted to tens of millions of acres set aside for protection by presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton.

The fact that crews wore face coverings as they took down the first Confederate statue – at night – underscores the intense passions enveloping the South’s history. National monuments are no less emotional amid tussles over drilling rights and Native American spiritual heritage.

Every country must wrestle with how it remembers its history, especially the parts it would rather gloss over or prettify. Its monuments speak volumes about how they not only mark but also embrace national progress.