In the past decade, the issue of Confederate monument preservation has become highly contentious, leading many states to pass laws aimed at monument protection. This thesis examines the extent to which advocacy groups in Atlanta, Georgia have had an impact on the city’s Confederate monuments since the enactment of the state’s restrictive monument protection legislation in 2019. The effectiveness of the different approaches taken by these advocacy groups is evaluated through a comparative analysis of seven case studies. Each case study focuses on one of Atlanta’s Confederate monuments, including the Confederate Obelisk, the Peace Monument, and the John B. Gordon Monument. This thesis reveals the extent to which monument protection laws restrict municipal autonomy over the public memorial landscape, and what role advocacy groups might play in that dynamic.
