''Alexander H. Stephens'' is a marble sculpture commemorating the American politician of the same name by

Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georg ...

, installed in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

as part of the

National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...

. The statue was gifted by the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in 1927. Stephens earned his place in the National Statuary Hall Collection by being elected to the US House of Representatives both before and after the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and serving as the Vice-President of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

. At the unveiling of Stephen's statue on December 8, 1927,

William J. Harris William Julius Harris (February 3, 1868April 18, 1932) was a United States senator from the state of Georgia. He was a great-grandson of Charles Hooks, who had been a Representative from North Carolina, and son-in-law of Joseph Wheeler, Confed ...

said of him, "His public career shows him time and again placing his loyalty to principles above subservience to political party; time and again refusing to follow where he thought principles were being set aside for party purposes." On March 31, 1861, Stephens delivered the

Cornerstone Speech The Cornerstone Speech, also known as the Cornerstone Address, was an oration given by Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, at the Athenaeum in Savannah, Georgia, on March 21, 1861. The improvised speech, de ...

which defended slavery as a just result of the inferiority of the "black race". Because of this, in 2017, some of Stephens's descendants asked that the statue be removed from the Capitol.

References

External links

* 1927 establishments in the United States Alexander H. Stephens Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Marble sculptures in Washington, D.C. Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C. Stephens, Alexander Sculptures by Gutzon Borglum {{US-sculpture-stub

See also

References

External links