Tuesday, Congressman Mo Brooks announced Tuesday that he will vote “No” on H.R. 3005. The bill calls to replace the bust of Roger Brooke Taney in the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the United States Capitol with a bust of Thurgood Marshall. It also calls to remove certain statues from areas of the United States Capitol that are accessible to the public and remove all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from display in the United States Capitol.
Chief Justice Taney became best known for writing the final majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857. The court declared that African Americans were not citizens of the United States and could not sue in Federal courts. This decision further declared that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories.
H.R. 3005 states, “Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney’s authorship of Dred Scott v. Sandford, the effects of which would only be overturned years later by the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, renders a bust of his likeness unsuitable for the honor of display to the many visitors to the United States Capitol.”
The Bill also states, “While the removal of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney’s bust from the United States Capitol does not relieve the Congress of the historical wrongs it committed to protect the institution of slavery, it expresses Congress’s recognition of one of the most notorious wrongs to have ever taken place in one of its rooms, that of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney’s Dred Scott v. Sandford decision.”
Rep. Brooks argues that the bill will allow other states to determine what statues other states can display. Currently, the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Collection has 100 statues, 2 from each state. Alabama’s two statutes are Helen Keller and Joe Wheeler. Wheeler was a Confederate general who later become a United States general. General Wheeler oversaw Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Alabama also has a third statute honoring Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks. Both the General Wheeler and Rosa Parks statutes are in places of prominence in the old House Chamber (now known as Statuary Hall). Helen Keller is prominently honored and displayed in the Capitol Visitor’s Center.
The 1864 law establishing the National Statuary Collection provides that each state may “furnish statues…of deceased persons who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services such as each State may deem to be worthy of this national commemoration.”
Brooks stated, “The 1864 law that establishes the National Statuary Collection defers to states the power to determine who they wish to honor with a Capitol statue. And that makes perfect sense. Just as it would be wrong for Alabama and other states to dictate to New York and California who they must honor, it is similarly wrong and repulsive for New York, California, or other states to dictate to Alabama who we must honor. Yet, H.R. 3005 seeks to do exactly that by empowering other states to dictate to a single state who that state can, or cannot, honor.”
Brooks continued, “Cancel culture and historical revisionism are precursors to dictatorial government and the destruction of individual liberty and freedom by elitists who claim they know more than regular citizens and, hence, should be empowered to dictate what regular citizens can and cannot think or do. Ultimately, it’s all about political power in the hands of a dictatorial few coupled with the loss of freedom and liberty by the masses.
“I reject cancel culture and historical revisionism. I reject Socialist Democrat intolerance. I support federalism and a state’s right to decide for itself who it should honor. As such, I will proudly vote ‘No’ on H.R. 3005. Alabama, not New Yorkers, Californians, or anyone else, should decide who we wish to honor in Alabama’s contribution to the National Statuary Collection. Socialist Democrat states should butt out,” Brooks concluded.
Brooks commented on Twitter, “Cancel culture & historical revisionism are precursors to dictatorial government & the destruction of individual liberty & freedom by elitists who claim they know more than regular citizens & should be able to dictate what regular citizens can think or do.”
Cancel culture & historical revisionism are precursors to dictatorial government & the destruction of individual liberty & freedom by elitists who claim they know more than regular citizens & should be able to dictate what regular citizens can think or do. https://t.co/63HV28f1O6
— Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) June 29, 2021
The House Press Gallery posted on Twitter earlier today, “A recorded vote was requested and postponed on H.R. 3005.”
A recorded vote was requested and postponed on H.R. 3005. https://t.co/IxmDeJmzlN
— House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) June 29, 2021
