On June 29, 2021 in Washington, DC, US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds up a bill after signing numerous bills during an enrollment ceremony at the US Capitol. Getty Images/Kevin Dietsch The House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would remove Confederate memorials and the bust of Roger Taney, a former chief judge who is best known for his pro-slavery decision, from the United States Capitol. With a vote of 285 to 120, the measure was decisively approved. Last year, the House passed the bill, but it failed to gain traction in the Republican-controlled Senate. It’s uncertain whether it has enough Republican support to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate right now. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-South Carolina, reintroduced the bill last month, citing the Confederate flags and other hate symbols displayed by a pro-Trump mob during the Jan. 6 Capitol disturbance as justification for replacing the statues. “Confederate battle flags were flown within the United States Capitol on January 6th, causing controversy. Nonetheless, there are remnants of a movement that embraced that flag and worked to divide and destroy our great country that persist in this sacred building “In a statement, Clyburn added. “This measure will remove these memorials from places of honor, demonstrating that we do not glorify people who attempt to divide us as Americans.” States must remove and replace any statues or busts honoring persons who voluntarily served in the Confederacy from public display in the Capitol, according to the law. The removal of Taney’s bust was emphasized by lawmakers, who pointed out that he was the author of the infamous “Dred Scott v. Sanford” judgement, which determined that Black Americans could not be citizens of the United States. Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice on the Supreme Court, will be replaced by a bust. “The Dred Scott decision was a blot on our history and represents the tragic legacy of slavery and racism that should not be celebrated in our country… Instead, it is fitting that we honor Justice Thurgood Marshall, a fighter for justice and inclusion who sought to advance the civil rights movement,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. A statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865, and Alexander Stephens, Davis’ vice president, are among the sculptures and busts that will be destroyed. In addition to removing Confederate statues and busts from the Capitol, the bill includes Rep. Barbara Lee’s (D-Calif.) Confederate Monument Removal Act. According to Democrats, the bill calls for the removal of statues that represent “slavery, sedition, and segregation,” such as those of John C. Calhoun, Charles Brantley Aycock, and James Paul Clarke. The bill also mandates the architect of the Capitol to identify any other Confederate-themed sculptures or busts that would be removed and returned to the states that sent them. The bill’s passage follows nationwide racial justice rallies last year, which were sparked by the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by white Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in jail last week. According to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, efforts to remove Confederate monuments in the United States accelerated after Floyd’s death, with approximately 170 statues supposedly dismantled in 2020 alone. Continue reading
