Texas Group Calls for Removal of Sam Houston Statue in Houston
There has been a rash of statue removals across the south as many cities have been getting rid of monuments to leaders and legends of the confederacy. Public outcry has given local political leaders reasons to remove these reminders of history in New Orleans, Virginia, and other locations south of the Mason Dixon.
Regardless of where you stand on that issue, I hope we can agree that not every statue of leaders from the past need to be removed. Case in point, Sam Houston's magnificent statue in Houston, Texas.
The political group Texas Antifa claim to be an "Anti-Fascist" collective that seeks to end the glamorization of past leaders like Mr. Houston. The group is organizing a rally in Hermann Park with the purpose of convincing the mayor of Houston to remove the offending statue there. The group claims that he is a disgrace because he owned slaves.
Let me be clear - slavery was bad, and left a terrible stain on our great nation. However, 12 of the first 18 U.S. presidents owned slaves - 8 owned slaves while they were serving as president. Will there be calls to remove statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson next? Another thing to consider is that Sam Houston lost his political power because he actively campaigned to keep Texas out of the confederacy entirely.
In my personal opinion, this is too far.