Spirit of the Confederacy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spirit of the Confederacy |
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The monument in 2013
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| Artist | Louis Amateis |
| Year | 1908 |
| Medium | Bronze sculpture |
| Subject | Angel |
| Location | Houston, Texas, United States |
The Spirit of the Confederacy is a large bronze sculpture located in Houston, Texas. It is also known as the Confederacy Monument. The statue shows an angel holding a sword and a palm branch. It was created by the artist Louis Amateis. The monument was put in Sam Houston Park in 1908. A local group called the United Daughters of the Confederacy placed it there.
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History of the Monument
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The monument was set up by the Robert E. Lee Chapter #186 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It was officially revealed in January 1908. This happened on the birthday of Robert E. Lee, a famous Confederate general. The Daughters worked for nine years to raise the $7,500 needed for the statue. The statue stands on a strong granite base.
The monument was made to honor "all heroes of the South". These were soldiers who fought for what they called "Principles of States Rights". This idea meant that individual states should have more power than the federal government.
Why the Monument Was Built
The monument was put up when Houston was a city with strict segregation. Segregation meant that Black and white people were kept separate. For example, in 1903, streetcars had different sections for each group. Also, many Black voters could not vote after a new tax was put in place.
At the unveiling, a man named Joseph Chappell Hutcheson spoke. He was a former Confederate soldier and a politician. He said the statue showed the "spirit" of the Confederacy. A history book from 1911 said the monument helped remember Confederate soldiers. It also helped care for those who were still alive.
Calls for Relocation
Over time, people started to question the monument. In 2015, after a sad event in Charleston, South Carolina, people wondered if the statue should stay. Some people felt the statue celebrated slavery and racism. Others believed removing it would erase history.
The debate grew stronger in 2017 after a large protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Spirit of the Confederacy is one of two Confederate monuments in Houston. The other is a statue of Richard W. Dowling.
Moving the Monument
On June 11, 2020, the city of Houston announced plans to move both monuments. The Spirit of the Confederacy was planned to move to the Houston Museum of African American Culture. This move was supported by a group called Houston Endowment.
The decision to move the statues had been discussed for a while. However, events related to the death of George Floyd sped up the process. George Floyd was a former Houston resident. The monument was moved to a warehouse on June 19, 2020. This date is important because it is Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the end of slavery in Texas.
