Statue of Thomas Jefferson (Decatur, Georgia)

The Thomas Jefferson statue was a bronze public statue of Thomas Jefferson. The statue was located on a bench next to the Old DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur, Georgia.[1] The statue depicts Jefferson writing the United States Declaration of Independence and was donated to the city by a private citizen to honor U.S. senator Paul Coverdell, who died in 2000.[2] Following a rally during the George Floyd protests on June 17, 2020, it was announced that the statue would be removed, citing the fact that Jefferson was a slave-owner who owned over 600 slaves and fathered several children with Sally Hemings, a slave he owned.[3] On the morning of June 19, 2020 the statue was removed at the request of the donor "to protect it from damage."[4] This came several days after the removal of the DeKalb County Confederate Monument, an obelisk on the courthouse grounds that honored the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.[2][3]

Statue of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson statue (2012)
MediumBronze
SubjectThomas Jefferson
LocationDecatur, Georgia, United States

See also

References
  1. Massara, Jim (June 22, 2020). "Thomas Jefferson Statue On Decatur Square Put Into Storage". Patch. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  2. Capelouto, J. D. (June 23, 2020). "Statue of Thomas Jefferson in downtown Decatur removed". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  3. Brown, Alex (June 18, 2020). "Thomas Jefferson statue will be moved following calls to remove racist symbols from public spaces". Decaturish. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  4. Whisenhunt, Dan (June 22, 2020). "Thomas Jefferson statue removed from downtown Decatur". Decaturish. Retrieved August 6, 2020.

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