By signing up you are agreeing to our, The Civil War Wasn't Just About the Union and the Confederacy. Created to honor more than 300 students and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War, the statue was erected decades after the war ended, as an increasing number of Confederate monuments were built during the Jim Crow era. One of those charged, Raul Arce Jimenez, was also among those charged with toppling a Confederate statue in Durham a year ago. The statue, known as “Silent Sam” for his lack of ammunition, has been a source of controversy on campus for years, and the university has long faced calls for it to be removed. He is scheduled to return to court Oct. 9. Pat McCrory, a Republican, that forbids universities and public entities from removing commemorative statues without approval from the North Carolina legislature. Cooper has called for the removal of several other Confederate monuments in the state. Defenders of these statues and symbols say they represent an important part of American history and Southern heritage. Cooper shared similar sentiments in a statement Monday night on Twitter. It wasn’t the first time Silent Sam was damaged or vandalized. The four people who appeared in Orange County court Monday were represented by attorneys at their hearings, given new court dates and released on $2,000 unsecured bonds. You can unsubscribe at any time. After Silent Sam’s toppling, UNC, which had long refused to remove or relocate the monument despite years of protests, labeled the protesters’ actions “dangerous” and a form of vandalism. Police are now “investigating the vandalism and assessing the full extent of the damage,” the school’s chancellor said. "We all have to recognize that the Confederate monument is a flashpoint for demonstrations and disruptions, and we believe it will continue to be a lightning rod," she said Saturday in a news conference. By Tammy Grubb, The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.), © Travis Long/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS. Police struggle with a protester during unrest at a demonstration against a statue of a Confederate soldier nicknamed Silent Sam on the campus of the University of North Carolina in … “These statues symbolize the violence toward black people,” Little told the Tar Heel at the time. The racist rhetoric spewed at the Confederate statue’s unveiling ceremony and the symbolism of the statue itself fueled decades of protests at UNC, and inspired some students and faculty to demand its removal. Both demonstrations drew hundreds of Silent Sam protesters and a much smaller crowd of statue supporters to the campus. “Protesters on Monday night toppled Silent Sam, the prominent Confederate monument whose presence has divided the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus for decades,” The Chronicle for Higher Education reported. Her hearing in that case is scheduled for Sept. 27. Little led the protest Monday night that resulted in its removal, according to the Tar Heel. When industrialist and white supremacist Julian Carr spoke at the 1913 unveiling of the Confederate statue now known as Silent Sam at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), he made its intended symbolism abundantly clear. As for Silent Sam, UNC police removed the statue from the dirt, according to the Tar Heel. On Monday night, before demonstrators knocked down Silent Sam, they covered it in banners. A plan to move "Silent Sam" presented by the school on Monday sparked protests hours after campus trustees overwhelming approved the proposal.