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House Votes to Rid Capitol of Confederate Statues

VOA News

   TheU.S.HouseofRepresentativesvoted lateWednesdayto cleanhousebyremoving
   statues honoring those who backed slavery in the United States or
   willingly joined the confederacy just before the Civil War.

   They include statues and bust of a SupremeCourtchiefjustice, a U.S.
   vicepresident,andGeneralRobert E. Lee.

   Wednesday's votein theDemocrat-controlled chamberwas301-113,with
   72Republicans,includingseveralconservatives, voting yes.

   The bill now goes to the Senate, where it
   isunclearifRepublicanMajorityLeader Mitch McConnell plans to bring it
   to a vote.

   The measurewould remove all statues honoring those whowere seen
   aspro-slaveryin the 19thcenturyor upholding segregation and laws
   targetingBlacks.

   The nationwide movement to reexamine the people being memorializedin
   statues and structuresgained momentum after the death in Minneapolis of
   George Floyd -- a Black man who died while in the custody of white
   police officers in May.

   Amongthelikenessestobe removedwould bea bust ofChief Justice of the
   Supreme Court [1]Roger Taney,whowrotethe1857Dred Scott decision
   declaringBlackscould not become U.S. citizens and
   thatCongressdoesnothave the power to outlaw slavery.It is often cited
   as one of the court's [2]worstdecisions.

References

   1. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Sculpture_21_00018.htm
   2. https://blogs.findlaw.com/supreme_court/2015/10/13-worst-supreme-court-decisions-of-all-time.html