How About Put Them Back? Richmond Wonders What to Do With All Those Removed Monuments
Richmond grapples with legacy of Confederate statues amid Trump DEI orders
Ideas of how to memorialize and teach American history continue to clash five years after the purge of Confederate statues along Monument Avenue. Many cheered as the statues came down, witnessing a landmark moment that many considered impossible in their lifetime. Others still wish to see them restored.
Two months into his new administration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
Asserting that past administrations had distorted national historical narratives, the president tasked the Department of the Interior to look into restoring monuments, memorials and statues that have been removed since 2020.
Legal experts and analysts say the order is unlikely to revive Richmond’s monuments, as they were local and state property, not under the jurisdiction of the federal government. But the president’s actions signal his willingness to wrest control of cultural institutions and mold American national identity.
“This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light,” the order says. “Under this historical revision, our Nation’s…