The Woke States of America has plenty of targets. And among them is the Father of our Country, George Washington. The Hero of Trenton, Yorktown, and the first president of the United States has two statues--I'm only going to talk about one of them right now--that are among the monuments that "warrant attention" according to Mayor Lori Lightfoot's Chicago Monuments Project.
Politicians, particularly those on the left-wing, love committees. They are somewhat effective in deflecting blame for unpopular decisions, such as shipping off into storage Christopher Columbus statues, which is exactly what Lightfoot did to three of them after a July riot in Grant Park outside of one of those bronze works.
It could be worse. In Anchorage, Alaska its liberal mayor, Ethan Berkowitz, punted the decision on what to do with its Captain James Cook statue to a tiny Alaska Native American community. Berkowitz resigned a few months later because of a sex scandal.
Chicago's George Washington statue in Washington Park, pictured on the right, is one of 41 monuments that could be sent away to storage, although the secretive Chicago Monuments Project insists no decisions have been made.
The Washington Park bronze statue is a replica of one designed by Daniel Chester French and Edward C. Potter, the same men behind the bronze statue profiled in the last entry in this series, the Bull and Indian Maiden. The Washington statue is a replica of their work that stands in Paris.
George Washington owned many slaves. We all know that. But Washington in his will began the process of freeing the slaves that he owned--which occurred two years after his death.
While not a brilliant military tactician, Washington was the general America needed for the Revolutionary War. Just keeping an army in the field--without adequate food, clothing, and pay for the troops--was a near miraculous endeavor. Washington's presidency set numerous favorable precedents for the young republic and he is deservedly ranked among America's greatest presidents.
After voluntarily--for the second time--surrendering power, this time after he declined to run for a third term as president, his onetime rival in London, King George III, reportedly said that if Washington would follow through on his departure he would be "the greatest man in the world."
Washington's statue in Washington Park may face a departure. And why stop there? I'm sure some leftists want to keep going. There is also the park name too. And Washington Street downtown that reaches in the West Side.
To comment on the monuments "under review" please visit the Chicago Monuments Project "Feedback page." Please be courteous but firm in your comments.Please Tweet this post. When you do so use the #ChicagoMonuments hashtag.
- Chicago monuments under assault, Part One, William McKinley
- Chicago monuments under assault, Part Two, Young Lincoln
- Chicago monuments under assault, Part Three, Melville Fuller
- Chicago monuments under assault, Part Four, Leif Erikson
- Chicago monuments under assault, Part Five, John A. Logan
- Chicago monuments under assault, Part Six, The Alarm
- Chicago monuments under assault, Part Seven, Phil Sheridan
- Chicago monuments under assault, Part Eight: Bull and Indian Maiden
Related posts of mine at Da Tech Guy
No comments:
Post a Comment