Article Summary –
The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that proposed to relocate a controversial Confederate monument, known as the Reconciliation Memorial, back to its original location in Arlington National Cemetery; the monument had been removed in 2023. The amendment, which was opposed by just 24 House Republicans, failed 198 to 230. The narrative around Confederate monuments and memorials and their removal from public spaces has gained traction in recent years, largely driven by significant events such as the 2015 Charleston, South Carolina church shooting and the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
A Monumental Decision: U.S. House Discusses Confederate Memorial Relocation
In the National Defense Authorization Act’s last amendment before the June 15 recess, U.S. lawmakers debated over No. 44. This amendment sparked controversy regarding a Confederate memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, known as the Reconciliation Memorial.
The controversial memorial, which portrays a Black “Mammy” and a Black slave with their white owners, was removed from the federal cemetery after numerous legal challenges in December 2023. The amendment proposes the return of the Reconciliation Memorial to its original location.
Both Montana House Representatives, Matt Rosendale and Ryan Zinke, voted in favor of Rep. Andrew Clyde’s proposition. However, Amendment 44 failed with 198 to 230 votes, opposed by only 24 House Republicans.
Heather Swift, chief of staff for Zinke, declared to Montana Free Press that “erasing history is not the answer.” A query to Rosendale’s deputy chief of staff didn’t yield a response.
The NDAA, a crucial bill setting military funding levels, has been used since 2015 to mandate the removal of Confederate references from government facilities. This has resulted in renaming military bases, lowering Confederate flags, and the removal or relocation of memorials like the Reconciliation Monument.
Public sentiment shifted notably after the 2015 murder of nine Black patrons in Charleston, South Carolina’s Mother Emanuel AME Church, prompting the removal of Confederate symbols. COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd in 2020 further spurred the removal of Confederate monuments.
However, former President Donald Trump vetoed the 2020 NDAA, citing an unwillingness to “wash away history.”
Montana has traditionally been slow to address race issues. For example, it didn’t recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday until 1991, eight years following federal recognition. Moreover, Montana is one of 19 states that don’t recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday. In 2021, when the holiday was federally recognized, Rosendale was one of 14 lawmakers opposed to the bill.
Both Montana representatives argued in a letter last December against the removal of the Reconciliation Monument. They maintained that the memorial, surrounded by 200 Confederate soldiers’ graves, was a 1914 unity gesture to the South.
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