Confederate symbols in government Archives

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: A statue of Joseph Wheeler (2nd R)), a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War and member of the House of Representatives, stands on a pedestal outside the office door of House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) in Statuary Hall inside the U.S. Capitol June 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has requested that Congress remove this statue and 10 others of Confederate soldiers and officials from the U.S. Capitol "The statues in the Capitol should embody our highest ideals as Americans, expressing who we are and who we aspire to be as a nation. Monuments to men who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end are a grotesque affront to these ideals. Their statues pay homage to hate, not heritage. They must be removed," Pelosi wrote in the letter addressed to committee Chair Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Vice Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Removing Confederate Statues From the US Capitol

Published on July 1, 2021August 11, 2025

by Nicole Hemmer During the insurrection in January, a rioter hoisted a Confederate flag over his shoulder, letting it furl out behind him as he marched through the Capitol. It was an outrageous sight: not even during the Civil War had insurrectionists breached the halls of Congress with the battle flag. Yet there it was, flapping alongside