Statue In Focus
Jefferson Davis Statue Causes Civil War
With Words (Continued)
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Students who support the statue’s existence on campus say it should be seen as a memorial representing an important part of the country’s history.
“It is not only an important part of history, but also something to remind us of our past and things we should strive for,” freshman Reed Kartye said. “The leadership and character that Davis showed throughout most of his life was something very admirable.” Kartye claims that the statue is meant to serve as a reminder that Jefferson Davis played a prominent role in American history, and that removing the statue will not erase history. “When we build a statue or a memorial, we don’t focus on reminding everybody of the flaws somebody has,” Kartye said. “We do it to be reminded of the good things they did, the great things they did, and this man did do great things.” Freshman Travis Galle does not necessarily oppose the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue, but he raises the point that other statues on campus honor racist historical figures, too. “Woodrow Wilson was an outspoken racist, George Washington owned slaves and we have Robert E. Lee on campus,” Galle said, “I think that if we remove the Davis statue we should remove all statues on campus except for Martin Luther King Jr., Barbara Jordan and Caesar Chavez. It’s only a fair and consistent application of what we believe constitutes a good person to be remembered as a statue.” Professor Jacqueline Jones says that although the statue was built to represent states’ rights, it is offensive and immoral in today’s society. “I don't think this is purely an African-American issue, I think it’s an American issue,” Jones said. “Just because Jefferson Davis was a part of our history does not mean we need to honor him and what he stood for.” The controversy surrounding the Jefferson Davis statue is similar to that of UT’s Simkins Hall, which was renamed to Creekside Hall in 2010. The UT System Board of Regents unanimously voted to change the name of Simkins Hall because William Stewart Simkins, a deceased UT law professor, was a Confederate colonel and a prominent Florida Ku Klux Klan leader. The question of whether or not to honor Jefferson Davis is not only restricted to the University of Texas, but is a controversy nationwide. Other Jefferson Davis memorials around the country have caused conflict in recent years. In 2013, Memphis City Council changed the name of Jefferson Davis Park to Mississippi River Park because the name caused dispute among Memphis citizens. The Jefferson Davis statue on the University of Texas campus sits next to eminent Ameriican leaders such as George Washington and Woodrow Wilson. “I think celebrating a person that participated in a very shameful part of American history is disgusting and makes UT look hypocritical,” freshman Hakeem Shoola said. “Especially when they make it seem like UT is a progressive, welcoming and non-discriminatory university.” |
Jefferson Davis' History
- Attended the United States Military Academy (West Point) starting in 1824
- Graduated in 1828 as a Second Lieutenant and was assigned to the 1st Infantry Regiment
- Participated in the Black Hawk War
- Davis first became involved in politics in 1840 when he attended a Democratic Party meeting in Vicksburg
- In 1844, Davis was selected as one of six presidential candidates
- In 1846, Colonel Jefferson Davis raised a volunteer regiment to fight in the Mexican-American War
- Davis served as United States Senator for two years starting in January 1848
- Elected as Secretary of War in 1853
- Elected as President of the Confederate States of America in 1861
- Met with his Confederate Cabinet for the last time on May 5, 1865, and officially dissolved the Confederate government
- In 1865, Davis was arrested and imprisoned at at Fort Monroe in Virginia for two years
- Davis was indicted for treason while imprisoned
- Released from prison on bail in 1867
- In 1869, Davis became president of the Carolina Life Insurance Company in Memphis, Tennessee
- During Reconstruction (1865 - 1877), Davis publicly remained silent on his opinions; but privately expressed opinions that federal military rule and Republican authority over former Confederate states was unjustified
- Davis died on December 6th, 1889, at the age of 81
- In 1933, the Jefferson Davis statue was established on the South Mall of The University of Texas at Austin
- In 1990, UT students started to vandalize the Jefferson Davis statue
- In March 2015, the Jefferson Davis statue was defaced with blue chalk reading "Chump"
- In March 2015, UT Student Government passed a resolution supporting the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue on campus
- In April 2015, the Jefferson Davis statue was defaced with spray paint reading "Davis must fall" and "Emancipate UT"