Statues of two pro-slavery South Carolinians could be removed from US Capitol
Democratic members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee want to remove Confederate and pro-slavery symbols from the U.S. Capitol — including the statues of two South Carolinians who staunchly defended slavery.
The committee, which is controlled by Democrats, voted Friday to include a measure in its legislative branch budget that would “remove all Confederate statues” and Confederate busts from public view within the Capitol building.
Among the symbols to be removed if the bill becomes law are statues of two pro-slavery South Carolinians: Former Vice President John C. Calhoun and Wade Hampton, a Confederate general and slave owner.
The proposal faces an uphill battle.
The Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to back a similar measure in its own version of the budget, and President Donald Trump, who has to sign the budget into law, is staunchly opposed to removing statues.
Yet Democrats in Congress are rallying behind the effort.
“When it comes to the South Carolinians we choose to honor in our nation’s capital, I believe that we can do better than two men who were among the most consequential defenders of slavery and white supremacy,” said Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-Charleston, in a statement. “They should instead be relegated to museums where they can be viewed in the appropriate historic context.”
The statue of Calhoun was one of four statues specifically identified for removal in the bill. The legislation also calls for the removal of symbols that depict “any individual who served voluntarily at any time as a member of the armed forces of the Confederate States of America,” which would include Hampton’s statue.
The statues of Calhoun and Hampton arrived at the Capitol as gifts from the state of South Carolina in 1910 and 1929 respectively, according to the Architect of the Capitol. They both are part of the National Statuary Hall Collection, which consists of 100 statues, two from each of the 50 states. The statue of Calhoun is displayed in the Crypt of the building, and Hampton’s statue is located in the Capitol Visitor Center.
No Black Americans are depicted among the 100 statues.
Calhoun’s political career spanned roughly 40 years. He served in both the U.S. House and Senate, as secretaries of war and state, and twice as vice president. He also owned between 70 and 80 slaves and “was an ardent believer in white supremacy,” according to Calhoun’s online biography by Clemson University, which was built on land from his Fort Hill plantation.
Hampton’s political caree — serving in both chambers of the South Carolina statehouse, as governor of the state for three years and as a U.S. senator for two terms — also was controversial. For example, he secured the governorship “in part by the use of fraudulent tissue ballots and with the help of the Red Shirts, a paramilitary organization that threatened potential black voters with violence,” according to historical accounts including one on the Historic Columbia website.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, backed a similar measure on Monday that also calls for the removal of the statue of Calhoun and statues that depict those who fought for the Confederacy from public display in the Capitol.
“Some statues & other honorifics to John C. Calhoun in my home state of South Carolina are already coming down,” Clyburn tweeted. “This august body must lead by example as well & remove the Calhoun statue & others who represented similarly destructive and divisive views of their fellow Americans.”
The legislation from the Appropriations Committee says the House would store the statues taken down from public viewing until they can be returned to their respective states.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM.