Democratic lawmakers have introduced a measure to remove Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and California Rep. Barbara Lee introduced the measure on Thursday in the House and Senate.
It would mandate the removal of all Confederate figures from the National Statuary Hall within the next 120 days.
Booker called the statues ‘painful’ symbols of ‘bigotry and hate’ that go against the goal of making the Capitol a place for ‘all Americans to come and feel welcomed.’
He said the statues belong in a museum where they can be put into proper historical context.
The new measure would mandate the removal of all 12 Confederate figures including Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis from the National Statuary Hall within the next 120 days
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (left) and California Rep. Barbara Lee (right) introduced the measure on Thursday in the House and Senate
The Confederate Monument Removal Act was introduced after the violence in Charlottesville last month when a white supremacist plowed his car into a crowd, killing one counter-protester at a rally to preserve the statues.
States would be able to reclaim the statues, or they’d be given to the Smithsonian.
‘The National Statuary Hall Collection is intended to honor American patriots who served, sacrificed or made tremendous contributions to our nation,’ Booker said.
‘Those who led our nation into its most painful and bloody war are not patriots and should not be afforded such a rare honor in this sacred space.’
The Act comes after the violence in Charlottesville last month when a white supremacist plowed his car into a crowd, killing a counter-protester at a rally to preserve the statues
This is the first bicameral legislation aimed at removing the statues.
There are currently 12 statues of Confederate figures including Gen. Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis in the collection.
The collection was created in 1864 to honor individuals who served or sacrificed for the U.S.
‘In the wake of Charlottesville, it’s abundantly clear that much work remains to root out racism from our society, ‘ Lee said in the House.
Fifty-sex percent of Americans disapproved of President Trump’s handling of the situation in Charlottesville.
‘Across the country, Confederate statues and monuments pay tribute to white supremacy and slavery in public spaces.
‘These hateful symbols should have no place in our society and they certainly should not be enshrined in the U.S. Capitol,’ she said.
After Charlottesville, President Trump said in a press conference that removing statues was an attempt to change history and culture.
‘George Washington was a slave owner. So will George Washington now lose his status? Are we going to take down statues to George Washington? What about Thomas Jefferson? You know what? It’s fine. You’re changing history, you’re changing culture,’ he said.
Fifty-sex percent of Americans disapproved of his handling of the incident.
However, 54 percent of Americans believe that the statues should stay put because they are symbols of southern pride, according to a survey by YouGov and The Economist.
A survey by YouGov and The Economist showed that 54 percent of Americans believe that the statues should stay put because they are symbols of southern pride.
Several monuments across the U.S. have been vandalized following the violence in Charlottesville, including the memorial above in Jacksonville, Florida
The face of a statue of Confederate commander General Robert E. Lee at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, was damaged in August
The confederate women’s monument in Jacksonville, Florida’s Confederate Park was vandalized with spray paint on Wednesday