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Decluttering the Capitol of its white supremacists

Political Theater, Episode 207

Mississippi’s statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis stands in Statuary Hall in the Capitol, but perhaps not for long.
Mississippi’s statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis stands in Statuary Hall in the Capitol, but perhaps not for long. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

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:

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