Republican Calls for Removing Confederate Plaque from Texas Capitol

Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus called for the removal of a Confederate plaque located in the State Capitol in Austin. The speaker wrote in a Facebook post that the Children of the Confederacy Creed plaque is “not accurate” and should be removed.

“Confederate monuments and plaques are understandably important to many Texans,” Speaker Straus (R-San Antonio) wrote on his official Facebook page. But it is important that the historical information displayed on the Capitol grounds is accurate and appropriate. The Children of the Confederacy Creed plaque does not meet this standard. The plaque says that the Civil War was not an act of rebellion and was not primarily about slavery. This is not accurate, and Texans are not well-served by incorrect information about our history.”

The speaker said other monuments on the Capitol grounds may need to be studied for accuracy as well.

“Some of the language that explains and describes monuments may need updating,” Straus explained. “We have an obligation to all the people we serve to ensure that our history is described correctly, especially when it comes to a subject as painful as slavery.”

State Representative Eric Johnson (D-Dallas) sent a letter to the State Preservation Board in August where he called for the removal of the plaque, the Houston Chronicle reported.

“I cannot think of a better time than the present to discuss the removal of all Confederate iconography from the Texas Capitol Complex,” Johnson wrote.

Following Johnson’s letter, Governor Greg Abbott (R) responded that racist and hate-filled language is never acceptable. He cautioned against erasing national history saying, “If we do not learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it.”