{"id":38275,"date":"2024-07-10T11:09:16","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T15:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=38275"},"modified":"2024-07-10T11:51:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T15:51:09","slug":"montana-free-press-republicans-vote-to-restore-confederate-monument","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/07\/10\/montana-free-press-republicans-vote-to-restore-confederate-monument\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana Free Press: Republicans vote to restore Confederate monument"},"content":{"rendered":" <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/07\/10\/montana-free-press-republicans-vote-to-restore-confederate-monument\/arlingtonnationalcemetery\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-38288\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-attachment-id=\"38288\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/07\/10\/montana-free-press-republicans-vote-to-restore-confederate-monument\/arlingtonnationalcemetery\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/10\/ArlingtonNationalCemetery-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 11 Pro Max&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1572629114&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.25&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;32&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Arlington National Cemetery\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Arlington National Cemetery&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Photo by Indianz.Com &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/&quot;&gt;(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/10\/ArlingtonNationalCemetery-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/10\/ArlingtonNationalCemetery-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Arlington National Cemetery\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-38288\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Photo by Indianz.Com <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Rosendale, Zinke vote to restore Confederate monument to Arlington National Cemetery<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">The monument was removed from the federal cemetery in December 2023.<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, July 10, 2024<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=\"source\">Montana Free Press<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=\"source-website\"><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/\">montanafreepress.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<em>This story is excerpted from <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/capitolized\/\"><em>Capitolized<\/em><\/a><em>, a weekly newsletter featuring expert reporting, analysis and insight from the reporters and editors of Montana Free Press. Want to see Capitolized in your inbox every Thursday? <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/montanafreepress.org\/capitolized-sign-up?utm_medium=email&amp;mc_cid=fe4cee85bc&amp;mc_eid=UNIQID\"><em>Sign up here.<\/em><\/a><P><\/P>\r\n\r\n<hr>\r\n\r\nCall it a \u201cmonumental\u201d decision.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe last thing on the U.S. House agenda before lawmakers left town June 15 for a week-long district work period, aka recess, was a three-day amendment slog ending in the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act. [<a href=https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/8070>H.R.8070<\/a>]<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nAmong the <a href=\"https:\/\/armedservices.house.gov\/fy25-ndaa-floor-amendment-tracker\">amendments to that act<\/a> was No. 44, which rekindled a festering debate over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arlingtoncemetery.mil\/Explore\/Monuments-and-Memorials\/Confederate-Memorial\">a bronze Confederate memorial<\/a> portraying a life-sized Black \u201cMammy\u201d holding up a white child for a goodbye kiss from its war-bound father. A Black slave trailing his uniformed owner is also depicted as part of the \u201cReconciliation Memorial.\u201d<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/10\/CLYDE_212_xml240530154311949.pdf\">amendment \u201cdirects the Secretary of the Army to relocate the Reconciliation Memorial<\/a>, also known as the Reconciliation Monument, to its original location in Arlington National Cemetery.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/arlingtonnatl\/albums\/72177720313510356\/\">monument was removed from the federal cemetery in December 2023<\/a> after a flurry of legal challenges.&nbsp;<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EryXsegnV0s?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/EryXsegnV0s>U.S. House of Representatives &#8211; Debate on Confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery #NDAA #NDAA2025 &#8211; June 13, 2024<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nBoth Montana Reps. Matt Rosendale and Ryan Zinke voted for the measure proposed by Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Georgia Republican. <a href=\"https:\/\/clerk.house.gov\/Votes\/2024269\">Amendment 44 failed 198 to 230<\/a>. It was opposed by just 24 House Republicans.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\n\u201cAs a policy, Zinke doesn\u2019t support the removal of monuments and memorials,\u201d chief of staff Heather Swift told Montana Free Press. \u201cGive context and clarify if necessary, but erasing history is not the answer.\u201d<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nA text to Rosendale\u2019s deputy chief of staff didn\u2019t get a response.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe NDAA is a must-pass bill setting funding levels for military spending.&nbsp;<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nCongress has used the bill since 2015 to mandate the removal of Confederate references from government facilities. Confederate flags have come down and military bases named after Confederate officers have been renamed. Memorials, including the Reconciliation Monument, have been dismantled or relocated.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe public opinion tipping point that started the removal movement was the 2015 murder of nine Black patrons at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. States and cities followed the federal lead, including Helena, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtpr.org\/montana-news\/2017-08-18\/helena-removes-confederate-memorial-fountain\">removed its Confederate memorial from Hill Park in 2017<\/a>.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman in 2020 and ensuing protests added further momentum for the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces \u2014 momentum that didn\u2019t extend to the White House of Donald Trump.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nTrump in 2020 vetoed that year\u2019s NDAA in part because \u201cI have been clear in my opposition to politically motivated attempts like this to wash away history and to dishonor the immense progress our country has fought for in realizing our founding principles,\u201d according to his letter to Congress explaining the decision.&nbsp;<P><\/P>\r\n\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-attachment-id=\"12146\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/31\/tim-giago-thanking-native-veterans-for-their-service\/photo-taken-with-focos-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/31\/tomboftheunknownsoldiershayailucero-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 11 Pro Max&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Photo taken with Focos&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1572626321&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00043478260869565&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Photo taken with Focos&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"tomb of the unknown soldier wreath by shayai lucero\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A wreath in honor of Native veterans was placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on November 1, 2019, to mark the start of Native American Heritage Month. The wreath was created by Shayai Lucero (Acoma Pueblo\/Laguna Pueblo, owner of Earth &amp;#038; Sky Floral Designs and Gallery in New Mexico) at the request of Native employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/31\/tomboftheunknownsoldiershayailucero-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/31\/tomboftheunknownsoldiershayailucero-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"tomb of the unknown soldier wreath by shayai lucero\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12146\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">A wreath in honor of Native veterans was placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on November 1, 2019, to mark the start of Native American Heritage Month. The wreath was created by Shayai Lucero (Acoma Pueblo\/Laguna Pueblo, owner of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earthskyfloral.com\">Earth &#038; Sky Floral Designs and Gallery<\/a> in New Mexico) at the request of Native employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Photo by Indianz.Com <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nHistorically Montana has been slow to respond to matters of race. State government didn\u2019t recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday until 1991, eight years after President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into federal law. Montana was three states shy of being the last state to do so.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThere are currently 19 states that don\u2019t recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday, Montana among them. In 2021, when the U.S. House created the holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery and the end of the Civil War, Rosendale was one of 14 lawmakers opposed to the bill.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nAfter the vote, Rosendale tweeted that the establishment of Juneteenth was an attempt to subvert the Fourth of July holiday.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nBoth Montana representatives signed a letter in December opposing the removal of the Reconciliation Monument. The letter argued that the memorial was a gesture of unity to the South made in 1914. There are 200 Confederate soldiers buried around it.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\n\r\n<strong>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2024\/06\/21\/montana-reps-vote-to-restore-confederate-monument-in-arlington-national-cemetery\/\">appeared on Montana Free Press<\/a>. It is published under a <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/3.0\/us\/\">Creative Commons license<\/a>.<\/strong>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Elements of a memorial that depict African Americans in a negative manner will remain out of public view despite a vote by Republican lawmakers.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,14],"tags":[3586,5071,5073,5072,48,1203,25,249,194,3653,47,61,970,57,756,569],"class_list":["post-38275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-politics","tag-118th","tag-andrew-clyde","tag-army","tag-h-r-8070","tag-house","tag-matt-rosendale","tag-military","tag-montana","tag-montana-free-press","tag-ndaa","tag-race","tag-racism","tag-ryan-zinke","tag-veterans","tag-virginia","tag-wars","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/10\/ArlingtonNationalCemetery-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-9Xl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38275"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38302,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38275\/revisions\/38302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}