Georgia lawmakers want to replace one of the state’s statues on display in the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol. The plan is to remove the statue of Confederate leader Alexander Stephens and possibly replace him with a statue of baseball legend Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. However, the state parliament may encounter some obstacles that stand in the way of this step.
The National Statuary Hall is a chamber in the United States Capitol dedicated to displaying statues of Americans who made history. Congress established the exhibit in 1864 and each state contributed two statues of notable citizens. It honors prominent individuals from each state and reflects America’s history and achievements. Several other states have already replaced Confederate figures from the exhibit.
The collection includes a dwindling number of other statues of members of the Confederacy, including statues of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States, and Joseph Wheeler, a Confederate military commander.
They share space with statues commemorating figures such as President Abraham Lincoln, abolitionist Frederick Douglass and civil rights activist Rosa Parks
Georgia donated the Stephens Statute in 1927.
Stephens also served in the Georgia Legislature, the House of Representatives and as governor of Georgia.
When the exhibit was first established, several Southern states sent statues Award Confederate leader.
A federal law signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 gave each state the final say on which two statues should be placed in the U.S. Capitol, and Southern states often used the law to honor Confederate war heroes and segregationists in the 1920s.
The all-white Georgia General Assembly voted in 1926 to employ one of its statues to honor Crawford Long, a 19th-century doctor who pioneered the employ of ether in surgery. A year later, the legislature added a stone version of Stephens to the exhibit.
The idea of inducting Aaron, who played for the Atlanta Braves, into the Hall was suggested by Republican Rep. Trey Kelley, who said that there is “nothing more American than baseball” and that “no one embodies American values more than Hank Aaron.” ”
Lawmakers also praised the athlete for using his influence “to advance civil rights, inspire entrepreneurship and illuminate the Georgia we know today.”
Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones praised Aaron as a “hero to Georgians everywhere” and said he “deserves to be honored in a way that reflects his stature and commitment to Georgia’s values.”
Alexander Stephens served as Vice President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. He was a high-profile figure in the antebellum South and was known for his enthusiastic support of states’ rights and slavery. He is perhaps best known for his 1861 “Cornerstone Speech,” in which he vehemently defended slavery as the “natural and normal condition” of black people and the foundation of the Confederacy.
With this move, Georgia would join several other southern states REMOVED Racist figures from the hall.
Florida replaced a statue of a Confederate general two years ago with one honoring Mary McLeod Bethune, a black educator. And North Carolina unveiled a statue of the Rev. Billy Graham to replace the statue of a white supremacist who served as governor.
If the Peach State replaces Stephens with Aaron, it won’t happen until January of next year, when the state Legislature reconvenes. It is unknown whether it will receive enough support from other lawmakers or whether Aaron’s family will agree. However, if this were to happen, it could prompt other states to follow suit.
