Texas lawmaker wants confederate plaque removed from Capitol
House speaker Joe Straus sends letter to Governor Abbott calling for the removal of marker from the state Capitol
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Tuesday called for the removal of a “blatantly inaccurate” Confederate plaque from the state Capitol that rejects slavery as the Civil War’s underlying cause.
In a letter sent to Gov. Greg Abbott, Straus writes that it’s “important that the historical information displayed on the Capitol grounds is accurate and appropriate.”
The “Children of the Confederacy Creed” plaque on the first floor of the building, erected in 1959, states that the Civil War was not an act of rebellion and was not primarily about slavery.
The Republican state legislator said that is probably not the only monument that needs to go.
“I also believe that Preservation Board staff should study the historical accuracy and context of other symbols on the Capitol grounds,” Straus wrote. “Some of the language that explains and describes monuments may need updating.”
Fox News’ call to Gov. Abbott’s press office seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Straus’ letter comes amid a growing nationwide debate over whether to remove the many Confederate symbols, monuments and statues that exist throughout the country. In Dallas last week, a Robert E. Lee statue was removed from a park. The local school board is also mulling whether to rename schools with Confederate-tied names.
He also wrote that elected officials have an obligation to their constituents to “ensure that our history is described correctly, especially when it comes to a subject as painful as slavery.”
There are more than 180 public symbols of the Confederacy around Texas, including a dozen just on the Capitol grounds, reports the Texas Tribune.
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