What We Are Missing in the Debate Around NYC City Halls Jefferson Statue? – Hyperallergic

Recently theNew York Timesand other newsoutletsreported that a seven-foot-tall statue of Thomas Jefferson will soon be removed from the New York City Council chamber. City officials unanimously voted for its removal, citing Jeffersons slaveholding history.

Lost in the conversation is the little-known genesis of the statue.

The sculpture was commissioned by the first Jewish commodore in the United States Navy Uriah Phillips Levy a man who for decades, at his own expense, worked to save Jeffersons dilapidated historic home Monticello from ruin. Levy, who faced anti-Semitism throughout his naval career, greatly admired Jeffersons views on religious freedom. The third president wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, whichserves as the prototype for the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights.

Levys motivation, to celebrate the religious liberty that allowed him a career of military service, is paramount to the sculptures intended (and lost) meaning. Levy wrote in a letter, For his determined stand on the side of religious liberty, I am preparing to personally commission a statue of Jefferson.

Levys desire to recognize Jeffersons legacy of religious freedom is a vital distinction. It strongly correlates with Levys commitment to American values despite the obstacles he faced because of his religio-cultural heritage, and the reciprocal gains America reaped because of Levys freedom to serve his country. Levy fought in the War of 1812, where he and his crew were taken prisoner by the British and held in captivity for 16 months. He also spearheaded the banning of flogging in the Navy.

But if a statue of Jefferson is up for relocation then should we rethink the location for the countrys largest equestrian monument, which honors Ulysses S. Grant? In view of the US Capitol building, the statue memorializes the man who issued a deplorable decree that expelled all Jews as a class within 24 hours from districts occupied by the Union army in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Grants order, the most anti-Semitic ever issued by the American government, erroneously branded Jews as traitors to the Union, accusing them of black-market profiteering in cotton.

Unquestionably, Grants success as the commanding Union general merits celebration, alongside important presidential acts such as signing into law the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, granting Black men the right to vote.

This commemorative sculpture still stands in its intended location because it has been examined for the context of its creation.

Two proposed locations for Jefferson are the New York Public Library and the New-York Historical Society. Wherever Jefferson is eventually displayed likely a public venue where many more people will see it the sculpture should be accurately contextualized. A plaque near it should explicitly honor Jeffersons critical and too-often forgotten contributions to religious equality while also pointing out his egregious flaws. Levy, too, should be part of that conversation, offering a potent example of an individual who reaped the rewards of Jeffersons commitment to religious liberty and a country that equally benefited worthy of celebration by Jews and non-Jews alike.

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What We Are Missing in the Debate Around NYC City Halls Jefferson Statue? - Hyperallergic