Statue of Thomas Jefferson (Decatur, Georgia)
| Statue of Thomas Jefferson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Subject | Thomas Jefferson |
| Location | Decatur, Georgia, United States |
| 33°46′32″N 84°17′48″W / 33.77547°N 84.29661°W | |
The Thomas Jefferson statue is a bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson which was formerly 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, his sister-in-law and 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]
See also[edit]
- List of statues of Thomas Jefferson
- List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests
References[edit]
- ^ Massara, Jim (June 22, 2020). "Thomas Jefferson Statue On Decatur Square Put Into Storage". Patch. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Capelouto, J. D. (June 23, 2020). "Statue of Thomas Jefferson in downtown Decatur removed". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Brown, Alex (June 18, 2020). "Thomas Jefferson statue will be moved following calls to remove racist symbols from public spaces". Decaturish. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ Whisenhunt, Dan (June 22, 2020). "Thomas Jefferson statue removed from downtown Decatur". Decaturish. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
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- Buildings and structures in DeKalb County, Georgia
- Decatur, Georgia
- Monuments and memorials in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Monuments and memorials in the United States removed during the George Floyd protests
- Outdoor sculptures in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Sculptures of men in the United States
- Statues in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Statues of Thomas Jefferson
- Statues removed in 2020
- United States Declaration of Independence in art
- United States sculpture stubs