Democrats Introduce Bill To Remove Confederate Statues From US Capitol

All 12 Confederate statues a part of the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection will have to be removed within 120 days if both bills pass.

This week, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and California Representative Barbara Lee introduced pieces of legislation titled the Confederate Monument Removal Act. If both bills are approved it will lead to the removal of all 12 Confederate statues in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection. The Confederate statues a part of the collection include Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America; General Robert E. Lee; and Alexander Hamilton, Vice President of the Confederate States of America.

READ: Baltimore Removes Confederate Statues Overnight

"The National Statuary Hall Collection is intended to honor America patriots who served, sacrificed or made tremendous contributions to our nation," Booker said to the Washington Post. "Those who committed treason against the United States of America and 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."

"In the wake of Charlottesville, it's abundantly clear that much work remains to root out racism from our society," Lee said. "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."

However, both bills may not get the support necessary to be passed. As the Post notes, Republicans control both the House and the Senate, and according to a survey from Economist/YouGov, 84 percent of Republicans believe that Confederate monuments represent pride rather than supremacy.

Source: washingtonpost.com