Jefferson Davis Monument (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Jefferson Davis Monument
The monument in 2015
Map
29°58′11″N 90°05′39″W / 29.96985°N 90.09427°W / 29.96985; -90.09427
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Dismantled date2017

The Jefferson Davis Monument, also known as the Jefferson Davis Memorial, was an outdoor sculpture and memorial to Jefferson Davis, installed at Jeff Davis Parkway and Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States from 1911 to 2017.[1]

Description

Richmond artist Edward Virginius Valentine was the sculptor of the monument. A stone marker about 20 feet behind the sculpture reads: Site of Jefferson Davis Monument/Dedicated June 3rd 1908.[2]

History

Dedication

The statue's dedication in 1911

The statue itself was dedicated on February 22, 1911. The ceremony included a mass of schoolchildren dressed in red, white, and blue making a formation of a Confederate flag, and a speech by then-Louisiana Governor Jared Y. Sanders Sr., followed by the children singing "Dixie".[3] Former Confederate officer Bennett H. Young also spoke at the ceremony.[3][4] The date of dedication was said to correspond with the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States of America, though the actual anniversary would have been four days earlier since Davis's inauguration was on 18 February 1861.

Controversy

"Slave owner" vandalism

Since at least 2003 the statue was the subject of frequent vandalism.[5][6]

After the Charleston church shooting in 2015, a concerted effort was launched to remove several monuments from public spaces in New Orleans, with Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell citing the Jefferson Davis Monument as "the one that really has some momentum around it."[7] A grassroots activist group, Take Em Down NOLA, campaigned for their removal.[8]

By decision of the New Orleans City Council in December 2015, the statue was ordered to be removed[9] and stored in a warehouse until another location was found.[10] Pro-monument supporters bearing Confederate flags and open-carrying firearms, surrounded the monument for weeks.[11][12] They were confronted by locals who supported removal, and confrontations grew more heated until the City cordoned off the area.[13][14]

The New Orleans local chapter of the Green Party of Louisiana issued a statement in support of the removal.[15]

Removal

The monument's foundation after the removal of the statue, its pedestal and base.[16]
See also: Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials

On May 11, 2017, the statue of Davis was removed, on order from the City, despite the presence of dozens of protesters and supporters.[17] Those removing the statue wore masks and helmets to hide their identities and the company name on their truck was hidden.[18] After the statue's removal, the pedestal and base were also removed, leaving only the foundation. The cost of removing the statue was split between private donations and the City of New Orleans.[19][20]

The statue was placed in storage at an undisclosed location. The City stated that it would be relocated, but no specific plans were announced.[21] The parkway was renamed for former Xavier University of Louisiana president Norman C. Francis in 2020.[22][23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Reckdahl, Katy (March 29, 2012). "3 defaced New Orleans monuments are cleaned by volunteers". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  2. ^ "Jefferson Davis Monument". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Davis statue unveiled with much ceremony". The Times-Democrat. New Orleans, Louisiana. February 23, 1911. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  4. ^ "Davis statue unveiled with much ceremony". The Times-Democrat. New Orleans, Louisiana. February 23, 1911. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Everson, Bart (2017-05-08). "Me and J.D. go way back". Mid-City Messenger. Archived from the original on 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  6. ^ "Jefferson Davis: Slave Owner". New Orleans Historical. Archived from the original on 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  7. ^ White, Jacquetta (June 25, 2015). "Charleston killings lead to calls for removing monuments to Confederate heroes in New Orleans". The New Orleans Advocate. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  8. ^ Campbell-Rock, C.C. (2015-12-07). "Protesters march against racist statues to pressure officials to take action". Louisiana Weekly. Archived from the original on 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  9. ^ Torres, Manuel (December 18, 2015). "Lee Circle battle moves to court: Federal lawsuit filed to halt monuments removal in New Orleans". nola.com. The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
  10. ^ "Jefferson Davis Monument – Stop 3 of 4 in the Confederate Monuments in New Orleans tour". New Orleans Historical. Archived from the original on 2017-04-09. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  11. ^ Kaplan-Levenson, Laine (2017-05-02). "Protesters Clash At The Jefferson Davis Confederate Monument". Archived from the original on 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  12. ^ "Monument watch: School letter to parents says Jeff Davis statue coming down tonight". WGNO. 2017-05-11. Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  13. ^ Hanzo, Jim (2017-05-02). "Barricades go up around Jefferson Davis monument". WWL. Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  14. ^ Staff, FOX8Live.com (2017-05-03). "SLIDESHOW: Fences going up around the Jefferson Davis monument". Archived from the original on 2017-06-12. Retrieved 2017-05-12.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Byun, Claire (2017-05-16). "'Symbols of white supremacy:' Green Party condemns Confederate memorials". Mid-City Messenger. Archived from the original on 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  16. ^ Swenson, Dan. "Jefferson Davis Monument: What was taken down and what remains [graphic]". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 2017-08-20. Retrieved 2017-08-20.
  17. ^ Cosson, Derek (2017-05-11). "New Orleans removes Jefferson Davis monument". The Pulse. Archived from the original on 2017-05-12. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  18. ^ Smith, Alexander (2017-05-11). "Mask-wearing crews remove Confederate statue in New Orleans". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2017-05-12. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  19. ^ Rainey, Richard (2017-06-09). "Confederate monuments removal in New Orleans costs $2.1 million". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-27. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  20. ^ Sanchez, Juan (2017-06-09). "City confirms monument removal cost more than $2.1 million". WDSU. Archived from the original on 2018-04-27. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  21. ^ Brasted, Chelsea (2017-05-11). "Confederate monuments in New Orleans: Where will they go next?". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  22. ^ "City Council renames Jeff Davis Parkway for Norman Francis; other street, park names could follow". 20 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  23. ^ "Dr. Norman C. Francis hopes street named in his honor brings people together as 'one'". 2 January 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2021-08-29.