Decluttering the Capitol of its white supremacists
Political Theater, Episode 207
Just before the Independence Day recess, the House is moving anew to remove statues of people in the Capitol who were part of the Confederacy or were otherwise white supremacists.
The latest iteration of the country’s long debate and conflict over race won’t be the last for sure. But in the meantime, assuming Congress follows through, the Architect of the Capitol would remove statues or busts in the Capitol “that represent figures who participated in the Confederate Army or government, as well as the statues of white supremacists Charles Aycock, John C. Calhoun, and James Paul Clarke and the bust of Roger B. Taney.”
On the latest Political Theater podcast, CQ Roll Call staff writer Chris Marquette discusses the long debate over such figures, why they are so divisive and what happens next to replace them.
Show notes:
- House votes to remove Taney bust, Confederate statues
- Ghosts of Confederate Mississippi endure in the Capitol
- Spending bill report would remove Confederate busts, statues
- Johnny Cash is replacing one of the Capitol’s Civil War statues
- At Gettysburg, worry over preserving history without sugarcoating
- Lawmakers line up showdown with Trump over Confederate base names