Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument (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]

Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument
United States
For Confederate Soldiers and Sailors
Established1905 (1905)
RemovedJune 2, 2020 (2020-06-02)
Location33.52007°N 86.80948°W / 33.52007; -86.80948
Linn Park, Birmingham, Alabama

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 52 foot high 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][8] In January 2019, an Alabama court declared unconstitutional the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act that prohibited "alteration" of the monument.[7] 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 killing 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

References
  1. Dwyer, Colin (June 2, 2020). "Confederate Monument Being Removed After Birmingham Mayor Vows To 'Finish The Job'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  2. "UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS.; Fourth Annual Reunion, at Birmingham, Ala. -- Large Attendance". New York Times. 25 April 1894. Retrieved 3 June 2020. 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.
  3. Watson, Nathan (2 June 2020). "A history of the Confederate monument in Birmingham's Linn Park". Bham Now. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  4. "The History of Birmingham's Confederate Monument and How the State of Alabama is Fighting to Keep It". Daily Kos. August 18, 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  5. Mock, Brentin (January 16, 2019). "Alabama Can't Make Birmingham Display Confederate Monument". CityLab. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  6. Burch, Audra D. S. (2020-06-02). "Birmingham Mayor Orders Removal of Confederate Monument in Public Park". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  7. Hrynkiw, Ivana (2019-01-15). "Judge rules Confederate monument law is void". al.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  8. Edgemon, Erin (2017-08-15). "Birmingham covers Confederate monument with plywood". al.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  9. Cason, Mike (2019-11-27). "Alabama Supreme Court upholds Confederate monument law". al.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  10. "Confederate Memorial Barrier Illegal, Alabama Supreme Court Says". Birmingham, AL Patch. 2019-11-27. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  11. Kaur, Harmeet (June 2, 2020). "Protesters tried to remove a Confederate monument in Birmingham. The mayor told them he would finish the job". CNN. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  12. "Linn Park Confederate Monument Removed By City". Birmingham, AL Patch. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  13. "Attorney General Steve Marshall files new lawsuit against Birmingham over removal of Confederate monument". www.wbrc.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  14. Sheets, Connor (June 2, 2020). "Obituary for a racist symbol: Birmingham takes down Confederate monument after 115 years". al.com.
  15. "Alabama attorney general sues Birmingham for removing Confederate monument". al.com. June 2, 2020.
  16. Associated Press; Reeves, Jay (June 2, 2020). "Confederate monuments targeted by protests come down in Alabama, Virginia, Florida". WPBI (mynbc15.com).


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