The lower house of the US Congress, by a majority vote, approved the bill, which provides for the dismantling of the Confederate statues in the Capitol building.

“Following a vote in the House of Representatives (305 votes in favor, 113 against), Resolution 7573 was adopted, ordering the Architect of the Capitol to replace the bust of Roger Brook Tony (US Attorney General (1831 - 1833) - RT ), installed in the premises of the Old Chamber of the Supreme Court in the building of the US Capitol, on the bust of Thurgood Marshall (judge of the US Supreme Court (1967 - 1991) - RT ); remove from the public areas of the US Capitol building some of the statues, as well as dismantle all the monuments on display in the Capitol to persons who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America, "- said in a statement on the website of the Chamber.

As the text of the document notes, “in view of the fact that Chief Justice Roger Brooke Tony was the author of the decision in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case, which legalized the disenfranchised position of African Americans,“ the bust depicting him seems unworthy of the honor of being displayed in front of numerous visitors to the US Capitol ".

“While the dismantling of the bust ... does not write off the acts of historical injustice it has committed to defend the institution of slavery to Congress, it recognizes that one of the most notorious manifestations of injustice that ever took place within its walls is the decision of Chief Justice Roger Brook Tony in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case, says a bill presented by House Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

The act also states that "the architect of the Capitol must remove from all public areas" statues of Charles Brantley Aycock, John Caldwell Calhoun and James Paul Clark, 19th century politicians who supported racial segregation and slavery.

The bill still needs to be approved by the US Senate, after which it will be sent to Donald Trump for signature.

Earlier, on June 20, North Carolina Democrat Governor Roy Cooper decided to move monuments to Confederate leaders from the Capitol in the state capital. According to him, he took such a step in order to avoid new actions by the demonstrators.

  • Mississippi Confederate Flag
  • AFP
  • © Byline / Source / Credit Rory Doyle

Demolition campaign

At the end of May, against the background of the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of the police and the massive protests that began in the United States, discussions about racial discrimination intensified. In addition to monuments to the Confederates, activists also targeted other historical sites that, according to the demonstrators, personify racism.

In particular, the Council of the American city of Sitka (Alaska) decided to dismantle the statue of Alexander Baranov, who ruled over Russian settlements in North America in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This is stated in the resolution adopted by the local authorities. In their opinion, the monument "continues to impart normality" to a historical figure allegedly involved in "racial division, violence and injustice."

At the same time, the Coordinating Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots in the United States (KSORS) stated that the demolition of the monument to Alexander Baranov is "the erasure of the Russian historical heritage." Moreover, the council drew up a petition for the preservation of this historical site, which has already been supported by more than 6 thousand people, while the demolition of the monument has so far been supported by less than 3 thousand people.

In Alaska, discussions are underway about the dismantling of the monument to the British navigator James Cook. The city of Anchorage has already prepared a corresponding petition. Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and Tribal Council Chairman Aaron Leggett said in a joint letter that "this monument is just one of many symbols that do not fully and fairly do justice to the indigenous people of Anchorage."

On July 4, demonstrators in the American city of Baltimore demolished a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the water.

At the end of June in Washington, activists tried to dismantle the monument to the seventh US President Andrew Jackson, but they were stopped by the police.

  • In Washington, protesters try to demolish a monument to the seventh US President Andrew Jackson
  • Reuters
  • © Tom Brenner

Meanwhile, the American Museum of Natural History in New York has decided to remove the monument to the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. The initiative was supported by the local authorities. The US President, in turn, considered this measure "ridiculous" and called for leaving the historic site in its original place. In New Orleans, activists demolished a bust of slave owner John McDonough and threw it into the river.

"Dump Trump"

Experts associate the continuation of the "hysteria around the revision of the historical heritage" with the upcoming presidential elections in the United States.

“This is due to the election campaign, which has now reached the home stretch. And, of course, the fight against history is used by the Democratic Party to mobilize anti-Trump forces. The House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats, and it is very important for them that in the upcoming presidential elections, as well as the entire composition of the House of Representatives, a third of the Senate and many governors, their nuclear electorate, which includes African Americans, will certainly support the Democratic Party, "the head of the party said in an interview with RT. Center for Political-Military Studies of the Institute of the USA and Canada, Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Batyuk.

The call to dismantle the Confederate statues in the Capitol Building is "another attempt by the Democratic Party to show its black voters who to vote for," he said. At the same time, the analyst believes that the Democrats and those who advocate the dismantling of historical sites are not going to actually solve the problems of racial discrimination.

“All this only contributes to the growth of unrest in the country and the expansion of the social abyss that already exists in the United States. But Democrats want to topple Trump. And here all means are good, ”the analyst states.

As Vladimir Bruter, an expert from the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Research, explained in an interview with RT, the problem of reassessing the historical heritage of the United States is now also associated with a change in the population structure.

“Those people who made up the stronghold of the Confederates are now in a serious minority, and many Americans do not perceive their values. The behavior of some police officers towards representatives of disadvantaged socio-ethnic groups has become a trigger for protests, clashes, and a revaluation of historical heritage. And this fire is supported by the Democrats, ”he said.

According to Vladimir Bruter, the Democratic Party “will try to inflate” this entire campaign, at least until the autumn elections.

“This will not stop until the opponents come to a logical compromise or until one of the parties wins the elections,” the expert said.

Vladimir Batyuk also predicts that the Democrats' campaign to reassess the historical values ​​of the United States "could go very far and at some point even get out of control."

“After all, almost all American presidents before Abraham Lincoln were slave owners. The founders of the overseas republic such as Washington, Jefferson, Madison and others owned slaves. Following the current logic, it is necessary to rename the capital of the United States and one of the states that bear the name of Washington. Moreover, on this wave, the Black lives matter movement may demand to change the name of the country, ”the analyst concluded.