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Trump Team Removes Plaque Criticizing Confederate Monument at Arlington Cemetery
Confirmed
In Short: The Trump administration has removed a plaque at Arlington National Cemetery that was critical of the Confederacy, ahead of plans to restore a Confederate monument that was previously removed.
The Trump administration has removed a plaque at Arlington National Cemetery that was critical of the Confederacy, ahead of plans to restore a Confederate monument that was previously removed in 2023.
According to Blavity News, the new plaque at Arlington provides 'historical context' for the Confederate Memorial, focusing on its conservation and the planned return in 2027.
The removed plaque, which had been in place since 2023, criticized the Confederacy and was part of an effort to remove Confederate names and symbols from military installations.
The change comes as the administration prepares to restore the Confederate Memorial, which held a prominent place at Arlington from 1914 until its removal in 2023.
Ty Seidule, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general, called the monument 'the cruelest monument that I have ever seen,' citing its pro-slavery, anti-United States narrative.
What's confirmed
- The Trump administration has removed a plaque at Arlington National Cemetery that was critical of the Confederacy, ahead of plans to restore a Confederate monument that was previously removed in 2023.
- According to Blavity News, the new plaque at Arlington provides 'historical context' for the Confederate Memorial, focusing on its conservation and the planned return in 2027.
- The removed plaque, which had been in place since 2023, criticized the Confederacy and was part of an effort to remove Confederate names and symbols from military installations.
- The change comes as the administration prepares to restore the Confederate Memorial, which held a prominent place at Arlington from 1914 until its removal in 2023.
- Ty Seidule, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general, called the monument 'the cruelest monument that I have ever seen,' citing its pro-slavery, anti-United States narrative.
What's still developing
- As the Trump administration continues its whitewashing of American history, a display at the nation’s most prestigious cemetery is undergoing changes.
- “Driven by a renewed sense of national unity following the Spanish-American War, in 1900 Congress authorized the reburial of Confederate remains in ‘some suitable spot’ at Arlington National Cemetery,” reads the plaque that has now been installed at the cemetery.
- The Trump-installed plaque also notes that the Confederate Memorial was created by “sculptor and Confederate veteran Moses Ezekiel” on behalf of the Daughters of the Confederacy, while omitting that Ezekiel and his sculpture promoted the discredited “Lost Cause” narrative that painted the Confederacy in a positive light.
- “I’m proud to announce that Moses Ezekiel’s beautiful and historic sculpture — often referred to as ‘The Reconciliation Monument’ — will rightfully be returned to Arlington National Cemetery near his burial site,” Hegseth posted, using an alternative name for the Confederate Memorial.
- At the time the monument was originally installed, mythologized retellings of the Civil War were growing in popularity, and the Ku Klux Klan racist terror organization was experiencing a resurgence.