Politics

Standing Up for Jefferson Davis

Eight of the worst representatives in Congress vote for racism

Photo by US Capitol, Public Domain, via Wikimedia

Let’s keep this simple. A statue of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, doesn’t belong in the U.S. Capitol building. Neither does a bust of Roger Taney, the Supreme Court Chief Justice that wrote the infamous1857 Dred Scott decision. The decision held that Scott, a Black man, had no right to sue because he was not a citizen. The decision also found that legislation restricting slavery in some states was unconstitutional.

Bust of Taney image from Architect of the Capitol

Both figures are offensive and inappropriate. They celebrate racism. On June 29, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 285–120 to remove the statue and other Confederate heroes' statues. The bust of Taney would be replaced with a bust of former Justice Thurgood Marshall.

120 Republicans voted no.

Jefferson Davis

Let’s focus on the best-known of the Confederates honored by having their images in the Capitol, Jefferson Davis.