New York statue of Thomas Jefferson removed for his slave past

Published on : 10/19/2021 – 10:34

His statue will have presided over the council chamber of the New York municipality for more than a hundred years: the city of New York gave, Monday, October 19, its approval for the withdrawal of the statue of Thomas Jefferson, one of the fathers founders of the United States, and co-author of its declaration of independence. A commission of the city council unanimously adopted the principle of the withdrawal of Thomas Jefferson, citing his slave past: he held in his plantation in Virginia more than 600 slaves, and had six children by one of them.

The removal of the statue had been requested for several years by Latino and black city councilors, and is now expected to join a hall of the New York City historical society. Third US President, “Thomas Jefferson represents some of the most shameful pages in the long and nuanced history of our country,” said African-American New York City Councilor Adrienne Adams.

The debate on the presence of this statue in the council chamber of the city hall of New York had been revived with the movement Black Lives Matter, born from the death of the African-American George Floyd, asphyxiated under the knee of a white police officer. in May 2020 in Minneapolis.