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Today, the committee deciding the fate of the Capitol Rotunda statue to the President of the Confederate State of America said it should stay put.
In a recent Bluegrass Poll, most Kentuckians said statue should remain. The survey showed 73 percent of Kentucky voters say the statue should stay put, and 17 percent said it should be moved to a museum. Ten percent of respondents were not sure what should be done with the statue. That full story can be found on The Herald-Leader online.
The following statement on the decision was issued by Gov. Steve Beshear today:
“The Historic Properties Advisory Commission by law has control over the statues in the Rotunda of the State Capitol, and recently I asked the Commission to review the appropriateness of the Jefferson Davis statue remaining in the Rotunda.
The Commission received thousands of public comments and consulted with state historians. After reviewing all the information, the consensus it reached is that the Jefferson Davis statue represented a part of the state’s history and will remain in the Capitol. However, the panel voted to establish a committee that would determine ways to ensure the statues, including Jefferson Davis, are displayed in the appropriate historical context.
While many Kentuckians feel that it would be preferable for the Jefferson Davis statue to be in a museum setting, the addition of this educational and historical context is critical. The generations to come must understand the enormous toll of the Civil War that tore apart this nation and the tragic issue of slavery at the root of that war.
Kentucky played a unique historical role as the birthplace of the presidents of both sides of the conflict. We must ensure that dark chapter of our nation’s past serves to educate in ways that ensure such a tragedy can never happen again.”
For more on the story, visit The State Journal online.
