US Parliament Drafts Bill To Remove Civil War Figures From Capitol Hill

JAKARTA - The US House of Representatives (DPR) has agreed to remove the statues in the Capitol Hill area. Some of them are statues of figures who are considered to have contributed to the outbreak of the 19th civil war, one of the darkest histories in Uncle Sam's country.

Reported by CNA, Friday, July 24, the policy took these steps based on the results of the voting. 305 votes agreed to remove the statues, far more than the 113 people who disagreed. Democratic Party MPs hold the majority.

"My ancestors built the Capitol. But there are no monuments to my ancestors ... These statues (clearly) represent white supremacy and racism," said California MP Karen Bass.

The transfer steps are outlined in the bill which is currently awaiting approval by the US Senate. According to the bill, three statues will be removed because they have a big role in slavery, white supremacy and the civil war 1861-1865.

At that time several southern states were trying to break away. They tried to form a republic which perpetuated slavery independently.

In fact, it is not just statues that the supporters of 'Black Live Matter' (BLM) echo. Many activists and blacks consider the flag and other confederate monuments to be symbols of racism. However, different things were echoed by other whites. They actually see this as a legacy that must be preserved.

Earlier, in mid-June, photos of four senior 19th-century lawmakers serving in the Confederation had been removed from the US Capitol. Not only that, the paintings of all former DPR speakers who were alleged to perpetuate racism have been brought down on the orders of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

Even so, control of the decline still requires the approval of the US Senate, which is controlled by US President Donald Trump. It is felt that this will encounter difficulties, considering that the Republican President is strongly against the removal of the historic statue.