10 Surprising States That Have Confederate Statues
More than 150 years after the Civil War ended, statues memorializing the Confederacy stand in 10 states.
A nationwide discussion regarding the removal of Confederate monuments has been ongoing since mass shooter Dylann Roof killed nine black people in a Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015. Those arguments were revived this week when a white supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, left one person dead.
In 2016, Southern Poverty Law Center noted there were 1,503 Confederate "place names and other symbols in public spaces." The study wasn’t comprehensive, though.
A student tour group posed for a photo at the site where a statue of Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson stood Aug.16, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. Photo: Getty Images
Texas has three cities that still bare Confederate statues: Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. But they might not be there for long. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings called a meeting Tuesday regarding the fate the Confederate statues that stand in about 90 parks around the city.
The city memorialized General Robert E. Lee with a statue in Lee Park and the Confederate War Memorial in downtown Dallas, CNN affiliate KTVT reported.
"This is simple. We could remove them, the question is, how do we heal on this issue? To do that we have to talk and listen to one another," Rawlings told KTVT.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner asked his staff to list parks that held the status and note whether they wanted to remove them.
"It is my hope that we can, in a very positive and constructive way, move forward," Turner told KTVT.
New York has busts of Robert E. Lee and Confederate Lt. Gen. Stonewall Jackson in University of New York's Hall of Fame for Great Americans in the Bronx and plans to remove them, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
"New York stands against racism," Cuomo tweeted Wednesday. "There are many great Americans, many of them New Yorkers worthy of a spot in this great hall. These two Confederates are not among them."
Washington, D.C., Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland and Massachusetts have all considered removing the statues that sit in parks and other public spaces.
Arizona and Pennsylvania are reportedly among the states that don’t plan on removing Confederate monuments. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said he didn’t have any plans to remove the Confederate statues in his town. Instead, he would leave the decision up to the residents.
"It's not my desire or mission to tear down any monuments or memorials. We have a public process for this. If the public wants to be engaged on this, I'd invite them to get engaged in it," Ducey told CNN-affiliate KTVK Tuesday.
Pennsylvania park officials reportedly had no plans to remove the 1,300 statues, markers, and plaques in The Gettysburg National Military Park. The park, which memorialized soldiers who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, has not received any grievances or requests to remove the monuments, Katie Lawhon, park spokeswoman told USA Today Tuesday.
"These memorials, erected predominantly in the early and mid-20th century, are an important part of the cultural landscape," Lawhon told USA Today in an email.
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