After Confederate statues controversy, Native American lawmakers ask, ‘What about Jackson?’ – By Jonathan Nicholson (Marketwatch) / July 4 2020
Despite what one lawmaker called ‘ethnic cleansing,’ statue stands in U.S. Capitol’s Rotunda
Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, died in 1845. Tennessee gave a statue of him to the U.S. Capitol in 1928. But the conflict over his legacy continues today for Native Americans.
With cities and states reconsidering the symbolism of local statues to Confederate figures, as well as a move by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to rid the U.S. Capitol of Confederate statues that were sent by the states, two House lawmakers wonder if it’s time to look at Jackson.
Jackson’s exploits in driving Native Americans from the Southeast helped win him the presidency in 1828 but make him almost universally reviled by tribal members today. The statue from Tennessee sits in a place of honor, under the dome of the U.S. Capitol in the Rotunda, seen by thousands of tourists each year in pre-coronavirus days.
“There’s no question Andrew Jackson was the worst president ever for Native Americans — cruel, horrible,” said Rep. Deb Haaland, a New Mexico Democrat. Haaland is one of only four Native Americans and one of two Native women in Congress.
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