2023 Winning Essay
The Significance of a Name:
Fort Bragg's Place in the Struggle for Racial Equality
3 June 2023
by Carmen Velazquez
In 1857, First Lieutenant Horatio Gibson was sent to the Northern coast of California, on a mission to build a military post near the Noyo River, which he named Fort Bragg. Gibson did not simply come up with this name, he got it from his former commanding officer Braxton Bragg, whom he admired greatly. Today, there is extreme controversy over this small town being named after Braxton Bragg because of his participation in the Civil War as a Confederate general and his ownership of over 100 slaves. The supporters of the name change say that the town should not honor a racist who served in the Confederate Army, while adversaries say changing the name will cost too much and may erase the town's history. After looking at each side, it can be concluded that the name of Fort Bragg should be changed because it commemorates a Confederate racist slaveholder, is disrespectful to Native Americans, and would be a step towards being more inclusive and accepting.
The first rationale for changing Fort Bragg's name is that it memorializes Braxton Bragg, who fought in the Confederate army and owned slaves. Many of the residents in Fort Bragg argue that the Fort Bragg name does not commemorate General Braxton Bragg, however going off the definition of commemorate it does. When Gibson named the fort, he respected and honored Bragg for being his commanding officer. From the very beginning of the founding of the town, the name celebrated Bragg, and it continues to today. Braxton Bragg was born in Warrenton, North Carolina, where he was raised into a man with racist ideologies. Just as his father did, Bragg owned slaves and his mother, who he rarely talked about, was locked up for murdering a freed slave (History.com Editors). There is no questioning the fact that Bragg harbored hatred towards African Americans, so there is mystery over whether the occupants of Fort Bragg who are unwilling to do away with the name foster the same beliefs. Along with brutalizing black people, Bragg fought in the Confederate Army, the goal of which was to create a separate and independent country where slavery was allowed. Confederates were not heroic figures who fought to defend their homeland, they were domestic terrorists who took up arms against their fellow Americans to prove their point (Martin). The Confederate Army fought to destroy the Union, and if asked whether they would support someone who fought against America, the majority of people living in Fort Bragg would say no. However, they continue to support the name of Fort Bragg, a symbol of Confederacy and racism. Braxton Bragg was a man who had nasty ideals and who should not continue to be commemorated through the preservation of the Fort Bragg name.
Another basis for getting rid of Fort Bragg’s name is that it is disrespectful to Native Americans. In 1835 the Bureau of Indian Affairs visited the Northern Coast of California, in search of a site to set up a reservation. Twenty-one years later, they created the Mendocino Indian Reservation at Noyo (mendocinofun.com). The purpose of the Fort Bragg military port that Lieutenant Gibson made was to maintain order on the Mendocino Indian reservation. In a letter, Gibson described the horrible conditions of the reservation: near-starvation, poor quality of food consisting of flour adulterated with sawdust, and the need for a doctor (Rigler Creative Staff). This Fort Bragg fort was essentially formed to preserve the suffering of Native Americans. Later on, in 1864, the Native Americans were forcibly removed from the reservation for the sale and resettlement of the land (Rigler Creative Staff). When it comes to Native Americans in the United States, there is always a lack of consideration. They were either murdered, sold into forced labor, or involuntarily rounded up into reservations. Today, there are only 167 Native Americans living in Fort Bragg because they were all removed or killed (Data Commons). Some of the reactions to changing the name of Fort Bragg showcase the lack of progress made in respecting Native Americans and treating them as human beings. Clearly, the moral principles have not changed. The same people who took this land thought about the same thing that the individuals who want to preserve the name are: money, power, and greed. When is it going to be about life? The lives that were lost, the lives that suffer today, the lives that will continue to suffer from it in the future. Fort Bragg was created on the destruction of Native Americans and keeping the name shows that the inhabitants of Fort Bragg don’t care about what happened to them.
An additional reason for changing the name of Fort Bragg is that it would be a step towards being more accepting and inclusive. It is no secret that the name of Fort Bragg is offensive. However, there are still so many people unwilling to accept this and begin to improve. How are you supposed to end prejudice and hatred when the town's very name is built on it? Perspectives and worldviews change with time, creating a different view of established social norms (Alliant International University). Just because things were customary in the past does not mean they should continue to be tolerated today. As a society, humans should be constantly trying to improve themselves rather than staying the same. Changing the name would be the first step to affirming the racism surrounding the name, and supporting black and Native American members of the community. One of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, who supported a name change, voiced his opinion saying that Native Americans have never been heard, and when given a voice, it is never taken into consideration (Silva). It is unacceptable to continue to ignore the opinions of minorities. Progress needs to be made, and changing the name shows a true commitment to growth and consideration.
Changing the name of Fort Bragg has been a disputed topic with arguments from both sides, but it can be unquestionably confirmed that the name of Fort Bragg should be changed because it commemorates a racist slaveholder, is not respectful to Native Americans, and would be a step to inclusivity and acceptance. The residents of Fort Bragg should be appalled by the name but instead they are attempting to preserve it. Some people say that changing the name will erase history, but those same people refuse to see the faults of that history. Nobody is going to forget about Braxton Bragg, especially the people who wish they could. Changing the name doesn’t erase history, it cultivates healing from it.
Works Cited
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Martin, Roland S. “Were Confederate soldiers terrorists?” CNN, 12 April 2010, http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/11/martin.confederate.extremist/index.html. Accessed 26 March 2023.
Medina, Daniel. “When Native Americans Were Forcibly Removed From a Mendocino Indian Reservation.” KCET, 10 August 2018, https://www.kcet.org/shows/california-coastal-trail/when-native-americans-were-forcibly -removed-from-a-mendocino-indian-reservation. Accessed 26 March 2023.
“What Is Social Change & Why Is it Important?” Alliant International University, 29 November 2020, https://www.alliant.edu/blog/what-social-change-why-it-important. Accessed 26 March 2023.