The statue of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, is under attack at the University of Texas campus in Austin. The statue was first defaced with writing that said “Davis must fall” and “Emancipate UT.” The Student Government also voted in March that the statue must come down. The administration at the University of Texas has not acted on the Student Government vote.
Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. There was no question about his support of slavery. He grew up on large cotton plantations and later owned his own large cotton plantation in Mississippi. He had over 100 slaves.
Quotes attributed to Jefferson Davis include – “if slavery be a sin, it is not yours. It does not rest on your action for its origin, on your consent for its existence. It is a common law right to property in the service of man; its origin was Divine decree.”
Breitbart Texas talked to students at the University of Texas about the issue.
Noah M. Horwitz, senior associate editor of The Daily Texan, UT’s flagship daily newspaper said “Jefferson Davis represents a shameful part of this country’s history, but he still represents part of the past.” He continued, “That’s why the statue should be moved down the road to the state history museum, and not literally be on a pedestal in the center of campus.”
The Daily Texan recently ran an editorial in support of removing the statue.
Timothy Hachem, a sophomore majoring in economics at UT Austin told Breitbart Texas “It’s true that we shouldn’t glorify Jefferson Davis, but as a society it is important to be reminded of history even when it doesn’t shine the brightest light on us. Its presence has already grabbed attention by students to tear it down, but this has only made people think of why it was up there in the first place.”
The UT sophomore continued “Texas was a part of the confederacy and if we forget where we’ve been in the past, we can end up right back where we were. I’m fine either way but I never feel good about removing history. I think it contributes to ignorance.”
Breitbart Texas also spoke with Marshal Davis, Public Relations Officer for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Mr. Davis is located in Austin, Texas.
Davis told Breitbart Texas “Jefferson Davis is one of six statues that University of Texas Regent, and Confederate Officer, George Littlefield commissioned.” Davis said that all six statues are of men that were his heroes.
Littlefield bequeathed the statue to the University of Texas.
The representative of the Texas Sons of Confederate Veterans said “I invite the students to learn the true history of the South, the Confederacy, and the reason those monuments are on the campus.”
June 3rd is President Jefferson Davis’ birthday. It will be interesting to watch the discussions surrounding his legacy at the University of Texas campus in Austin.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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