The US military wants to clear the names of bad generals; Fort Bragg is now Fort Liberty

Fort Bragg, a US military base in the state of North Carolina, is now known as Fort Liberty. The name change was a result of the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, which opposed, among other things, honoring soldiers who fought for the Southern states in the American Civil War (1861–1865). At the time, those southern states were, among other things, opposed to the abolition of slavery.

Confederate General Braxton Bragg, according to historians, was not even such a capable general. But when the foundation was established in 1918, local residents were allowed to choose a name. That is: white members of the local population, black people say nothing.

It was chosen for Bragg, a ‘war hero’ from North Carolina. So the fort got the name of a general who was a slave owner and led his forces to many defeats.

The protests of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the violent death of George Floyd in 2020 opened the eyes of more Americans to centuries of discrimination against African Americans. This led the US Department of Defense to take a critical look at the names of US military bases.

During the Civil War it was decided to remove the names of southern states and replace them with the names of black soldiers. Only in the case of Fort Bragg it deviates. According to the American general, Fort Liberty was chosen in consultation with the local population because “liberty is the most important American value.”

Fort Liberty is home to nearly 30,000 US soldiers. The name change is estimated to cost 8 million euros.