Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument (Birmingham, Alabama) explained

Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Body:United States
Commemorates:Confederate Soldiers and Sailors
Coordinates:33.5201°N -86.8095°W
Location:Linn Park, Birmingham, Alabama

The Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument was a commemorative obelisk that was erected in Linn Park, Birmingham, Alabama in 1905. The monument was dismantled and removed in 2020.[1]

History

The cornerstone of the Monument plinth was laid during the 1894 Reunion of United Confederate Veterans on Confederate Decoration Day, April 26.[2] and contained a Bible and Confederate flag.[3] The slab of rock was unused for several years, though a surplus artillery piece from the Spanish–American War of 1898 once rested on it. On May 29, 1896, The United Daughters of the Confederacy held a meeting to decide what to do with the plinth and, in 1900, raised money for construction of the obelisk. The 52adj=midNaNadj=mid monument was completed on April 27, 1905.[4] [5] [6]

In 2017, following widespread concern about the monument being a symbol of historic racism, the Birmingham city council erected a barrier surrounding the memorial, resulting in a lawsuit being brought against it by the state.[7] In January 2019, an Alabama court declared unconstitutional the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act that prohibited "alteration" of the monument.[8] The lower court's decision was reversed in November 2019 by the state Supreme Court, which upheld a fine of $25,000 against the city council.[9] [10]

Following protests in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, during which protestors damaged and tried to remove the monument, the city council removed the obelisk, leaving only the plinth.[11] [12] The state Attorney General responded by filing a new lawsuit against the city council saying[13] the removal was in violation of the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017, a law passed specifically to prevent the removal of this monument. It was the most prominent Confederate monument in the state. The Alabama Attorney General filed suit against the city of Birmingham for violating the statute. Mayor Randall Woodfin said the expected $25,000 fine for removing the statue would be much more affordable than the cost of continued unrest in the city.[14] [15] [16]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dwyer. Colin. June 2, 2020. Confederate Monument Being Removed After Birmingham Mayor Vows To 'Finish The Job'. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200602184354/https://www.npr.org/2020/06/02/867659459/confederate-monument-removed-after-birmingham-mayors-vow-to-finish-the-job . June 2, 2020 . 2020-06-03. NPR.org. en.
  2. Web site: UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS.; Fourth Annual Reunion, at Birmingham, Ala. -- Large Attendance. . New York Times . 3 June 2020 . en . 25 April 1894 . More than 20,000 visitors were in Birmingham in attendance upon the fourth annual re-union of the United Confederate Veterans, which convened here to-day. To-morrow, Decoration Day, will be observed in an appropriate manner. The cornerstone of a Confederate monument to be erected by Camp Clayton Sons of Veterans will be laid. . June 15, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220615034837/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1894/04/26/106829280.html?pageNumber=2 . live .
  3. Web site: Watson . Nathan . A history of the Confederate monument in Birmingham's Linn Park . Bham Now . 3 June 2020 . 2 June 2020 . June 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200603184936/https://bhamnow.com/2020/06/02/a-history-of-the-confederate-monument-in-birminghams-linn-park/ . live .
  4. Web site: The History of Birmingham's Confederate Monument and How the State of Alabama is Fighting to Keep It . Daily Kos . 3 June 2020 . August 18, 2017 . June 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200603184911/https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/8/18/1691468/-The-History-of-Birmingham-s-Confederate-Monument-and-How-the-State-of-Alabama-is-Fighting-to-Keep-It . live .
  5. News: Mock. Brentin. January 16, 2019. Alabama Can't Make Birmingham Display Confederate Monument. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190203024453/https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/01/alabama-birmingham-confederate-monument-judge/580612/ . February 3, 2019 . 2020-06-03. Bloomberg.com. en.
  6. News: Burch. Audra D. S.. 2020-06-02. Birmingham Mayor Orders Removal of Confederate Monument in Public Park. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-06-03. 0362-4331. June 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603172523/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/us/george-floyd-birmingham-confederate-statue.html. live.
  7. Web site: Edgemon. Erin. 2017-08-15. Birmingham covers Confederate monument with plywood. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191011130803/https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2017/08/defy_state_law_and_remove_conf.html . October 11, 2019 . 2020-06-02. al.com. en.
  8. Web site: 2019-01-15. Judge rules Confederate monument law is void. 2020-06-03. al.com. en. Ivana. Hrynkiw. June 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603070145/https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/01/judge-rules-alabama-confederate-monument-law-is-void-city-of-birmingham-didnt-break-the-law.html. live.
  9. Web site: 2019-11-27. Alabama Supreme Court upholds Confederate monument law. 2020-06-03. al.com. Mike. Cason. en. May 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200530135206/https://www.al.com/news/2019/11/alabama-supreme-court-says-birmingham-violated-historic-monuments-law.html. live.
  10. Web site: 2019-11-27. Confederate Memorial Barrier Illegal, Alabama Supreme Court Says. 2020-06-03. Birmingham, AL Patch. en. June 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603072724/https://patch.com/alabama/birmingham-al/confederate-memorial-barrier-illegal-alabama-supreme-court-says. live.
  11. Web site: Harmeet. Kaur. Protesters tried to remove a Confederate monument in Birmingham. The mayor told them he would finish the job. June 2, 2020. 2020-06-02. CNN. June 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603141510/https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/01/us/birmingham-protests-confederate-monument-trnd/index.html. live.
  12. Web site: 2020-06-02. Linn Park Confederate Monument Removed By City. 2020-06-03. Birmingham, AL Patch. en. June 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603072702/https://patch.com/alabama/birmingham-al/linn-park-confederate-monument-removed-city. live.
  13. Web site: Attorney General Steve Marshall files new lawsuit against Birmingham over removal of Confederate monument. 2020-06-03. www.wbrc.com. June 3, 2020. en-US. June 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603071511/https://www.wbrc.com/2020/06/02/attorney-general-steve-marshall-files-new-lawsuit-against-birmingham-over-removal-confederate-monument/. live.
  14. News: Obituary for a racist symbol: Birmingham takes down Confederate monument after 115 years. June 2, 2020. al.com. Connor. Sheets. June 11, 2020. February 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210211010704/https://www.al.com/news/2020/06/obituary-for-a-racist-symbol-birmingham-takes-down-confederate-monument-after-115-years.html. live.
  15. News: Alabama attorney general sues Birmingham for removing Confederate monument. June 2, 2020. al.com. June 11, 2020. June 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603120959/https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2020/06/alabama-attorney-general-sues-birmingham-for-removing-confederate-monument.html. live.
  16. News: Confederate monuments targeted by protests come down in Alabama, Virginia, Florida. Associated Press. Jay. Reeves. June 2, 2020. WPBI-LD (mynbc15.com). June 11, 2020. June 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603223306/https://mynbc15.com/news/nation-world/confederate-monuments-targeted-by-protests-come-down-in-alabama-virginia-florida. live.

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