A century-old statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was quietly removed from the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington, DC on Sunday night.
The collection features two statues to represent each of the 50 states. The Robert E. Lee statue was donated to the collection by the state of Virginia in 1909 (Virginia’s other statue is George Washington).
In its place will stand a statue of civil rights activist Barbara Rose Johns, who at age 16 led a strike against unequal school conditions and educational resources for Black students. The strike, which took place in 1951 in Farmville, Virginia, evolved to become one of five lawsuits comprising Brown v. Board of Education – the 1954 Supreme Court case in which “separate but equal” public schools were declared unconstitutional.
“We should all be proud of this important step forward for our Commonwealth and our country, said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D). “The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia’s racist and divisive history, and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity, and inclusion. I look forward to seeing a trailblazing young woman of color represent Virginia in the US Capitol, where visitors will learn about Barbara Johns’ contributions to America and be empowered to create positive change in their communities just like she did.”
Earlier this year, a state commission voted unanimously to remove the state of Robert E. Lee.
“Confederate images do not represent who we are in Virginia,” said Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas (D), who led the commission.
“This is a historic and long-overdue moment for our Commonwealth,” added Reps. Jennifer Wexton (D) and Aston Donald McEachin (D). “The Robert E. Lee statue honors a legacy of division, oppression, and racism – a dark period in the history of our Commonwealth and our country. There is no reason his statue should be one of the two representing Virginia in the US Capitol.”
Governor Northam is also trying to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy. Richmond’s Democratic Mayor – Levar Stoney – ordered the removal of almost all other Confederate monuments in the city following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in May.
Robert E. Lee’s name has also been removed from schools and roads throughout the state. Even Washington and Lee University in Lexington – where the Confederate General is buried – is considering changing its name.
The removal of the statue is “welcome news,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who seeks to remove all depictions of Confederate leaders from the National Statuary Hall Collection. “The Congress will continue our work to rid the Capitol of homages to hate, as we fight to end the scourge of racism in our country.”
The Robert E. Lee statue that was removed from Washington, DC will be housed in the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond. The statue of Johns is expected to cost the state up to $500,000.
Author’s Note: Virginia is free to make its own decisions, but the timing on this one doesn’t make sense considering the nationwide effort to eradicate COVID.
Have they already forgotten what happened in 2017 when the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville was taken down?
Sources:
Robert E. Lee statue removed from US Capitol
Oh, good! Now WE can tear down his statue!
Oh Good! Now WE can tear down HIS statue!
Nothing like removing history
The killing-arsonist-looting Civil Rights Activist??
Ignorant Fling Morons
I really wish these unamerican people would leave our STATURES Alone, if don’t like what America stands for LEAVE !!! GOD Bless AMERICA the land of the free (that also Means FREE Speech). ??????
The REAL dark period is NOW. These idiots want to destroy ALL of our history. They do not want to let our citizens know how our great nation was formed. They want people to think that their perverted way is how our nation started and became great.
So tired of these live real demonrat wanna-be’s going around touting themselves as the saviors of the USA when they are IN FACT destroying it! Will people who understand what these criminals are doing ever wake up and stop this BULLSH*T!
Liberal not live real, typical auto correct in an effort to drive their narrative.
Thats just dumb as a rock trying to erase history.Governor must have been dropped on his head as a child.
Sadly the commission are all racist anti-white Democrats destroying history
Somewhere in the back of this old mind (I am 71 years young), there was a saying somewhat like this ~~
“Those who try to erase the past are doomed to repeat it! I don’t remember the author, but the words still
ring true.
Before you know it all of history will be removed, and children will never know what happened years ago. They will be ignorant of the past, and what occurred in our country – let along Europe, Asia, etc., and all the wars and how they were fought. Pitiful and shameful. Why are “these” people so full of hate, and wanting to destroy history?
That is just BS. History needs to be preserved. The bad with the good. No reason ever try to bury it just learn. What is going to be said about BLM & Antifa. They are heroes.
Nothing but thieves and communist POS.
Hmmm!
sounds like a bunch of bigoted Trump voters!!!
“They” cause racism. Let’s go back to true history. The Civil war did happen;slavery did happen; freedom did happen; WWI and WWII did happen and we survived. Now Socialism and Communism are entering through the Democratic?? system. People wake up and say no.
It is time to retake the majority rights..
History is never going to be changed because of the snow flakes it will be apart of the US.
What you are seeing and living through is Communist take over of our country. We as Americans know our history. When you destroy history you are bound to repeat it. We are on the brink of another Civil War. Like no nation has seen before. GOD Save America.
Democrats are trying to erase our great American history. The statues need to remind us of our great history, teaches us of our mistakes as well as our great gains of America.
The removal of General Lee’s statue in no way changes history. There have been numerous civil rights workers who should be remembered for their service, but not at the cost of actual history. It is travesty to try to change history with a lie.
Lee, a West Point graduate along with Grant, was at the forefront of the Civil War issue which originally was not about slavery but session of southern states from the Union. Lee was actually offered the position of command over the Union Armies over Grant. President Lincoln thought Lee a better qualified officer for that position. Lee, historically a southerner, felt compelled by his personal honor, history and family heritage to support the Secessionist Movement. When the northern states showed indifference to the secessionist southern movement, only then did the war issue and President Lincoln become about slavery. In retrospect, right or wrong, that is the brief history of why military leaders were forced to play the rolls they did. That is why any attempts to change, marginalize or out right lie about key historical players diminishes the history of what happened what happened. To understand the history we must know the players, their histories and their motivations!
The student is seriously hampered otherwise. The removal of statues or historical documents dose no good to those who seek the truth over historical obscurities and lies
WHAT? The REASON the South wanted to secede was because without the free labor of slavery the wealthy owners and leaders benefiting from the agrarian plantation driven economy of the South would be far less-so if they had to pay for labor.
Do YOU like to work for free, Daniel? (Didn’t think so.)
LETS MAKE NO MISTAKE ROBERT E. LEE LEAD AN ARMY TRYING TO DEFEAT OUR AMERICAN UNION. Given the “choice” you illuminate, he CHOSE the enemy of our United States and lead armies against US.
That’s a traitor. Regardless of whatever “noble and educated Southern Gentlemen” brush you choose to paint with — the final image is “Traitor”.
This misplaced statue and its now rightful removal from a place of HONOR isn’t erasing history. If you want to “remember” Robert E. Lee we can place him somewhere in his proper context — the same way Germany, Poland and the world preserves and remembers the Holocaust at Auschwitz.
Ridiculous. Certainly ok to have “black only” colleges. What the hell’s wrong with this country. Seems like many are pushing for Charles Manson’s Helter Skelter which hope’s for a race war. Like it or not, we need to honor our history and stop catering to these friggin idiots that sit around all day looking for something to destroy. Country gone to hell.
Go back to Germany before WW II, Hitler tried to destroy history except what he wanted. They burned books and just like our “Ally” China tried to wipe out Christianity.
Sad.. Part of History, should of left Robert Lee’s Statue there, and add Barbara Rose Johns Civil Rights Activist Statue next to it.. or make or build a special building for Activist’s. You cannot erase history whether good or bad, if you do then You will most likely repeat it. Preserve History… That’s just my Opinion.
What’s the feedback on Bartley’s BBQ in Grapevine?
Black people LOVE history! This is evidenced by devoting the entire month of February to Black History Month. History is history. We can not erase it and pretend that it never happened. Whether people like it or dislike it, it happened! Now we ape picking and choosing what is history. Go ahead and deny that Gen Robert E Lee never existed.
Enough is enough, Blow that civil rights statue all to HELL and take the blm
IT IS A DARK DAY!!!!
THIS STATUE WAS OF A MAN WHO CHOSE TO FIGHT FOR HIS STATE OVER HIS COUNTRY!!! CAN YOU REMEMBER A TIME WHEN WITH PRIDE PEOPLE WOULD SAY I LIVE IN THE GREAT STATE OF ……..
WHERE DID THIS PRIDE AND SENSE OF DUTY AND OBLIGATIONS GO???
TODAY WITH ALL THE SILLINESS YOU CAN BE A BOY OR GIRL OR BOTH OR A CHICKEN OR A TREE !REALLY WTF
MEN ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE PRIDE AND A SENSE OF DUTY AND WILL TO HELP THIER COMMUNITY. I GUESS NOW THE GO HOME FROM WORK AND HAND YHIER PANTS TO THE CHILDREN!!!?????
Why don’t all the fake do gooders stop this BS and just admit they are doing all they can to destroy the greatest country in the world. What I can’t understand is that these frauds are living the American Dream so why in the hell are they domestic enemies of this great republic. I have been to, lived in and fought in socialist/communist countries and all, I say again all, the people are unhappy, poor and completely void of initiative or pride. What these fools fail to realize is that once socialism is installed the masses will come to destroy them because they are now in charge. The death caused by the socialist elite throughout history is available for all to see. The time to stop talking and to stand up to these fraudulent bullies is now. While there is still time patriots need to take whatever action is required to save this great country. Please pull your head out of the sand and recognize this is not about race, sex, religion this is about FREEDOM. To secure FREEDOM we may have to give it all. God Bless America!
It is said that “if we don’t learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.”
Apparently some State “leaders” have learned from ISIS and Taliban to try to ‘erase’ America’s history..!!
So in say a hundred years will anybody remember who this Barbara rose johns is?
Shame, shame on our Governor!!
It makes me sick to see them tear down our beautiful statues. They think by doing this they can erase our history. These are sick people. They want to destroy our country. Please leave our country alone. Please leave before we destroy you.
To much social change is happening . Why now? Because of leftist views on history. Enough is enough ,stop trying to rewrite our history.
General Robert E. Lee was an honorable man. He took sides with a cause that he believed was worthy of defending. The Civil War was not caused singularly for slavery or civil rights.
The south was very prosperous at that time and a great number of black servants were taken care of very well. Honestly, a lot of them were not.
As far as racism goes, the north had plenty of that going on too.
I don’t think Robert E. Lee fought this war because he just hated black people.
He fought to defend the people and land that he loved.
Removing this statue is wrong on many levels. Everybody needs to stop removing our history. I don’t care if it hurts their feelings or not, it is our history. Politicians should get some backbone and grit and stand up for this Country instead of worrying about hurting someone’s feelings. All they care about is that VOTE!! Stand up to these communist democrats. I thought everyone was taught History in school. If you have forgotten about it read it again you idiots!!!
Thgat could gain so,me paint spraying..
It would be wise to reread history of the Civil War from both sides. Although I ama northerner, Lee was a great General and from all accounts a highly respected and honorable man. Virginia should be proud to have his statue. We need to keep telling our elected officials to KEEP our history. Not try and destroy it. Pelosi is a moron.