Statue Of General E Lee Replaced At US Capitol By A Statue Of Civil Rights Activist

STATUE Of General E Lee Replaced At US Capitol By A Statue Of Civil Rights Activist Barbara Rose Johns

A statue of the Confederate Army’s General E Lee, that has stood in the Crypt of the Capitol since 1909, was removed from the US Capitol on Sunday, December 20, announced the office of Governor Ralph Northam, to be replaced by a statue of African-American Barbara Rose Johns, who is remembered as helping kick-start the Civil Rights Movement in America.

Lee’s statue, donated by the state of Virginia, was one of 13 in the Crypt, representing the 13 original colonies of the US, installed in 1909, as Northam’s office described it, “44 years after the Confederacy rebelled against the United States and was defeated”.

The National Statuary Hall Collection is the display around the US Capitol, and by law, all states are allowed to donate two statues and can replace their statue with another, through a process involving the state’s legislature and governor, with the legislation stating the statues must be “of deceased persons who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or distinguished civic or military services”.

Democrat governor Northam, stated, “We should all be proud of this important step forward for our Commonwealth and our country. 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.”