Statue of Sam Davis (Montgomery Bell Academy) explained
A bronze statue of the Confederate soldier Sam Davis was installed in 1999 at Nashville, Tennessee's Montgomery Bell Academy, in the United States.[1] [2] The sculpture was designed by the local artist Alan LeQuire.[2] [3] Davis had been an student at the Western Military Institute, a predecessor of the Montgomery Bell Academy.
History
According to the school's headmaster, the statue was originally installed "because of Sam Davis's pre-Civil War connection to one of MBA's predecessor schools and the attributes of loyalty and friendship associated with his life and story".[4]
Removal
The statue was removed in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests.[5] [6] The school's headmaster said, "MBA understands the concerns about the Sam Davis statue, and we will remove the statue from the campus within the week... We recognize the ways in which this story and Sam Davis's association with the Confederacy have become increasingly troubling, particularly as perspectives on the past have shifted. We strive to be an inclusive community, not one that either is or is perceived as racist or supportive of values that demean or marginalize others. In that spirit and with that conviction, we will remove the statue."[7]
In April 2022, officials submitted a petition to remove a different statue of Sam Davis from Nashville's Centennial Park, pending approval by the Tennessee Historical Commission.[8] [9]
See also
Notes and References
- Book: Smith, Debra West. Young Heroes of the Confederacy. August 19, 2015. Pelican Publishing Company. 9781455616855. Google Books. June 5, 2020. June 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220615022840/https://books.google.com/books?id=2dlODgAAQBAJ&pg=PT54. live.
- Web site: Object record: Sam Davis statue. 26 June 2020. 28 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200628124624/https://montgomerybell.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/B3442741-E5D4-4865-B7E1-486236144525. live.
- Web site: Tommy Owen. 2020-06-26. data.nashville.gov. 2020-06-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20200629011555/https://data.nashville.gov/api/views/bta3-7qkc/rows.xml?accessType=DOWNLOAD. live. (in XML format)
- Web site: 2020-06-06. Tennessee school to remove statue of Confederate soldier. 2020-06-26. AP NEWS. 2020-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20200626154227/https://apnews.com/35f9eae0e0f080db89f977b12582066a. live.
- Web site: Nashville school pledges to remove statue of confederate soldier from its campus. The Tennessean. 2020-06-05. 2022-06-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20220615022840/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2020/06/05/montgomery-bell-academy-in-nashville-to-remove-confederate-statue/3154026001/. live.
- Web site: Nashville school to remove Confederate soldier Sam Davis statue. Kaylin. Jorge. June 5, 2020. WZTV. June 8, 2020. June 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200605191427/https://fox17.com/news/local/montgomery-county-school-to-remove-confederate-soldier-sam-davis-statue. live.
- Web site: Statue of Confederate soldier to be removed from Montgomery Bell Academy campus. June 5, 2020. June 5, 2020. June 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200605190749/https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/statue-of-confederate-soldier-to-be-removed-from-montgomery-bell-academy-campus/. live.
- Web site: Nashville . Vivian Jones . 2022-04-19 . Metro seeks state permission to remove Confederate memorial from Centennial Park . 2022-11-18 . Main Street Nashville . en.
- Web site: McFarland . Justin . Jorge . Kaylin . 2021-02-04 . Nashville parks seeks state's permission to remove Confederate monument . 2022-11-18 . WZTV . en.
