With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Alabama Capitol's Confederate statues defaced with paint

Unlike their visit a few months ago, Sandra Churchwell and Debra Wallace weren’t alone Wednesday as they gazed up at the massive Confederate monument on the grounds of the Alabama Capitol.

That’s because someone hopped over the wrought iron fence surrounding the monument during the weekend and painted the statues’ faces and hands black.

“It’s really a shame because this is such a nice monument, it’s so old,” Wallace said of the memorial, which was built on a cornerstone that was laid by Confederate president Jefferson Davis in 1886.

“N.T. 11 11 31” was also written in black paint on the monument’s base and is believed to be a reference to slave Nat Turner who was hanged on November 11, 1831 for starting a rebellion.

“That’s the only thing that we’ve come up with that has made any sense, it definitely was the right date for Nat Turner,” Bob Canter, Senior Restoration Artisan for the Capitol, said Wednesday. “It was done either Saturday night or Sunday night.”

Read entire article at AP