The Stone Mountain carving has a complex and controversial story spanning decades. To better understand the creation and legacy of this monument, families are invited to explore our interactive webpage. Children in 3rd—7th grade, can use the interactive map below to learn about the carving through common questions and themes. A Family Guide and vocabulary resource are also included to guide engagement and encourage deeper thinking and creativity. Each set of questions on the Family Guide corresponds to a different section of the interactive Monument map. Vocabulary terms are included at the bottom of the webpage to help kids understand unfamiliar words or concepts.
Video clips from the Monument documentary film are also included throughout the site. This film contains important cultural and historical themes and parental guidance is suggested in helping younger audiences break down more complex ideas.
Print your own Family Guide and to follow along with the information and videos in the interactive Stone Mountain map.
Guide HereRelated. Vocabulary.
| Vocabulary | Definition | Sentence Using Word |
|---|---|---|
| 13th Amendment | The amendment to the United States Constitution that made enslavement illegal in 1865 | After the passing of the 13th Amendment in 1865, all enslaved people were considered free under the United States Constitution. |
| Abolitionists | A person or group of people wanting to abolish, or end, the practice of enslavement and grant freed enslaved people basic human rights | Many famous abolitionists—such as Harriett Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth—despised the practice of enslavement and often helped enslaved people achieve freedom. |
| Civil Rights Act of 1964 | A United States law that bans the unfair treatment of individuals based on their race, religion, or gender | The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted to ensure everyone feels accepted within their community, regardless of their background. |
| Confederate States of America “CSA” | Eleven southern states, threatened by the election of President Abraham Lincoln and fears that he would end enslavement, decided to leave the United States to form the Confederate States of America (CSA) | The Confederate States of America (CSA), threatened by the election of President Abraham Lincoln, decided to leave the United States to form their own country. |
| Enslavement | The practice of having physical and legal ownership of another person or group of people | The enslavement of African Americans in the United States ended in 1865. |
| Equality | Receiving the same rights, respect, and treatment as your peers | The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was an act that enforced social equality among United States citizens. |
| Hate Group | A group of people joined together to terrorize individuals and communities from different races or religions | Hate groups often use violence to gain control of others and promote fear within specific communities. |
| Human Rights | Rights of freedom and dignity belonging to all human beings | During their enslavement, African Americans were denied basic human rights. |
| Integration | Allowing white people, African Americans, and members of all races to be together in public spaces | Because of integration, cultural diversity exists within public spaces like schools, public transportation, and towns and cities. |
| Ku Klux Klan “KKK” | A group driven by a belief in white racial superiority over other minority communities—specifically, African Americans | Historically, the Ku Klux Klan used violence against African Americans in the South, foreign born immigrants in the North, as well as Jews, Catholics, and others. |
| Lost Cause | The false idea that the Confederate States of America fought to defend state rights, not enslavement, and therefore their cause was justified | The ideology of the Lost Cause denies enslavement as the main cause of the Civil War, says that enslaved people were treated kindly, and that the war was caused by Northern economic aggression against the South. |
| Secession | The process of states formally leaving a country | The secession of eleven southern states from the United States is what began the Civil War. |
| Segregation | Keeping people of different races apart and separated in society | During the segregation era from the 1880s through the 1960s, white people and members of other races were not allowed to interact in public spaces. |
| State Rights | The theory that most government power should come from individual states, not the U.S. government | Southern states used the theory of State Rights to argue that the U.S. government could not outlaw enslavement in the states or prevent secession. |
| White Supremacy | The racist belief that white people are superior or better than people of other races and should have more power | Members of the Ku Klux Klan believed white supremacy justified their existence and actions toward other racial groups. |
Related Content. Learn More.
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Story
The Birth of a Nation’s success and wide distribution increased national interest in the post-Civil War Klan. In Atlanta, the film served as an inspiration and a guide for the leaders of two early 20th-century Atlanta organizations with close connections to Stone Mountain—the modern Ku Klux Klan and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
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John Temple Graves was a New South orator, newspaper editor, and political figure, known for his influence on racial issues in the late 19th and early 20th century. His newspaper, the Atlanta Georgian, played a significant role in inflaming racial tensions that led to the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre. He was also one of the earliest proponents of carving the likeness of Robert E. Lee into the side of Stone Mountain as a memorial to the Confederacy.
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How did the world’s largest Confederate monument end up outside of Atlanta? What should be done, if anything, with it? With these questions in mind, Atlanta History Center explores the controversial history through online resources and an upcoming documentary.