Dogmaphobe
Diamond Member
Of course it's a tradition.Destruction of public and private property a "Tradition"?....
Oh for heavens sake.....
The Taliban did that in Afghanistan to destroy the symbols of non Islamic cultures.
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Of course it's a tradition.Destruction of public and private property a "Tradition"?....
Oh for heavens sake.....
Yup...it’s nothing new.
Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence
Enthusiasm for the American Revolution led colonists to burn, disfigure, and deface any symbol of Britain and its hated king.www.nationalgeographic.com
Fireworks, bands, and cookouts are essential ingredients of any Fourth of July celebration. What’s usually not on the menu is toppling statues, ripping down signs, or burning portraits. But in the days following the new nation’s declaration of independence, Americans went on a frenzy of destruction that makes today’s attackson Confederate and other symbols of white supremacy pale by comparison.
The most dramatic act took place in New York City on July 9, 1776. Early that evening, General George Washington and his troops, along with hundreds of citizens, crowded into what is now City Hall Park to hear a reading of the document that had just arrived from Philadelphia. The enthusiastic throng then headed for Broadway and the two-ton equestrian statue of King George III on Bowling Green.
This was the same route protestors took in 1765 when New Yorkers demonstrated against the Stamp Act taxing a host of goods. The following year, the colony’s assembly commissioned the statue in recognition of the king’s support in repealing the despised legislation. Modeled on the classical equestrian sculpture of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, it arrived from London in 1770 and was erected with great pomp. When John Adams paid his first visit to New York in 1774, he wrote to his wife Abigail that the king’s statue was “very large, of solid lead, gilded with gold, standing on a pedestal of marble very high.”
Two years later, fervent New Yorkers, with the help of Washington’s soldiers, quickly pulled it from its plinth and broke it into pieces. Much of the lead was shipped to Connecticut and melted down to make 42,008 bullets.
U.S. Postmaster Ebenezer Hazard wrote that the statue “has been pulled down to make musket ball of, so that his troops will probably have melted Majesty fired at them.”
A British officer who had the decapitated head rescued from a tavern before it reached the furnace noted that the nose was severed, the laurels were awry, and a musket ball was lodged “part of the way through his head.” He had it shipped back to London “to convince them at home of the infamous disposition of the ungrateful people of this distressed country.”
Washington wrote that while he didn’t doubt the zeal of those who mutilated the statue, he decried what had “so much the appearance of a riot, and want of order.” He told his soldiers to steer clear of such incidents in the future. (Washington also fought an epidemic during the American Revolution.)
So we can pull down statues of abolitionists and marital cheaters like MLK ?
Go away StalinYup...it’s nothing new.
Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence
Enthusiasm for the American Revolution led colonists to burn, disfigure, and deface any symbol of Britain and its hated king.www.nationalgeographic.com
Fireworks, bands, and cookouts are essential ingredients of any Fourth of July celebration. What’s usually not on the menu is toppling statues, ripping down signs, or burning portraits. But in the days following the new nation’s declaration of independence, Americans went on a frenzy of destruction that makes today’s attackson Confederate and other symbols of white supremacy pale by comparison.
The most dramatic act took place in New York City on July 9, 1776. Early that evening, General George Washington and his troops, along with hundreds of citizens, crowded into what is now City Hall Park to hear a reading of the document that had just arrived from Philadelphia. The enthusiastic throng then headed for Broadway and the two-ton equestrian statue of King George III on Bowling Green.
This was the same route protestors took in 1765 when New Yorkers demonstrated against the Stamp Act taxing a host of goods. The following year, the colony’s assembly commissioned the statue in recognition of the king’s support in repealing the despised legislation. Modeled on the classical equestrian sculpture of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, it arrived from London in 1770 and was erected with great pomp. When John Adams paid his first visit to New York in 1774, he wrote to his wife Abigail that the king’s statue was “very large, of solid lead, gilded with gold, standing on a pedestal of marble very high.”
Two years later, fervent New Yorkers, with the help of Washington’s soldiers, quickly pulled it from its plinth and broke it into pieces. Much of the lead was shipped to Connecticut and melted down to make 42,008 bullets.
U.S. Postmaster Ebenezer Hazard wrote that the statue “has been pulled down to make musket ball of, so that his troops will probably have melted Majesty fired at them.”
A British officer who had the decapitated head rescued from a tavern before it reached the furnace noted that the nose was severed, the laurels were awry, and a musket ball was lodged “part of the way through his head.” He had it shipped back to London “to convince them at home of the infamous disposition of the ungrateful people of this distressed country.”
Washington wrote that while he didn’t doubt the zeal of those who mutilated the statue, he decried what had “so much the appearance of a riot, and want of order.” He told his soldiers to steer clear of such incidents in the future. (Washington also fought an epidemic during the American Revolution.)
Any statue you morons take down we will put back upFalling Down: History's Toppled Statues And Monuments
As public debate rages over the removal or vandalism of statues in the United States and the United Kingdom, we look back on some of the monuments brought down in recent history.www.rferl.org
View attachment 359926View attachment 359927View attachment 359928View attachment 359929View attachment 359930View attachment 359931View attachment 359932
After Lexington & Concord, did King George rethink his colonial policies, consider easing up on the Coercive Acts or reopening Boston Harbor? Nope. It's not good to harden your position against protesters sometimes; the colonists' attitudes also hardened against the King for his refusal to meet them halfway. Everything went downhill from there.
Trump is following that same playbook, although BLM is keeping its cannons in the garage for the moment--I'm not suggesting we are working up to a shooting war here. But by not listening, by simply dismissing them and talking like they're the "enemy," Trump is hardening the protesters' attitudes toward the government, too. Locally, towns and cities are making changes, so maybe this thing will eventually die down, thanks to cooler heads. But on a national level, he's making the same mistake King George did. A lot of you are. The summer isn't half over. It's going to be a long one, the more people resist listening to each other.
After Lexington & Concord, did King George rethink his colonial policies, consider easing up on the Coercive Acts or reopening Boston Harbor? Nope. It's not good to harden your position against protesters sometimes; the colonists' attitudes also hardened against the King for his refusal to meet them halfway. Everything went downhill from there.
Trump is following that same playbook, although BLM is keeping its cannons in the garage for the moment--I'm not suggesting we are working up to a shooting war here. But by not listening, by simply dismissing them and talking like they're the "enemy," Trump is hardening the protesters' attitudes toward the government, too. Locally, towns and cities are making changes, so maybe this thing will eventually die down, thanks to cooler heads. But on a national level, he's making the same mistake King George did. A lot of you are. The summer isn't half over. It's going to be a long one, the more people resist listening to each other.
No, you are suggesting we just surrender to the mob in the hopes it is placated.
The mob is NEVER placated.
They don't want us to listen, they want us to bend the knee.
Well, yeah, I was talking about Trump not listening, so....The time for "listening to each other" has passed. I notice that comes at the very end when everything written prior to that line appears to indicate that only one side needs to listen.
Did they tear them down because some thug got killed?Yup...it’s nothing new.
Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence
Enthusiasm for the American Revolution led colonists to burn, disfigure, and deface any symbol of Britain and its hated king.www.nationalgeographic.com
Fireworks, bands, and cookouts are essential ingredients of any Fourth of July celebration. What’s usually not on the menu is toppling statues, ripping down signs, or burning portraits. But in the days following the new nation’s declaration of independence, Americans went on a frenzy of destruction that makes today’s attackson Confederate and other symbols of white supremacy pale by comparison.
The most dramatic act took place in New York City on July 9, 1776. Early that evening, General George Washington and his troops, along with hundreds of citizens, crowded into what is now City Hall Park to hear a reading of the document that had just arrived from Philadelphia. The enthusiastic throng then headed for Broadway and the two-ton equestrian statue of King George III on Bowling Green.
This was the same route protestors took in 1765 when New Yorkers demonstrated against the Stamp Act taxing a host of goods. The following year, the colony’s assembly commissioned the statue in recognition of the king’s support in repealing the despised legislation. Modeled on the classical equestrian sculpture of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, it arrived from London in 1770 and was erected with great pomp. When John Adams paid his first visit to New York in 1774, he wrote to his wife Abigail that the king’s statue was “very large, of solid lead, gilded with gold, standing on a pedestal of marble very high.”
Two years later, fervent New Yorkers, with the help of Washington’s soldiers, quickly pulled it from its plinth and broke it into pieces. Much of the lead was shipped to Connecticut and melted down to make 42,008 bullets.
U.S. Postmaster Ebenezer Hazard wrote that the statue “has been pulled down to make musket ball of, so that his troops will probably have melted Majesty fired at them.”
A British officer who had the decapitated head rescued from a tavern before it reached the furnace noted that the nose was severed, the laurels were awry, and a musket ball was lodged “part of the way through his head.” He had it shipped back to London “to convince them at home of the infamous disposition of the ungrateful people of this distressed country.”
Washington wrote that while he didn’t doubt the zeal of those who mutilated the statue, he decried what had “so much the appearance of a riot, and want of order.” He told his soldiers to steer clear of such incidents in the future. (Washington also fought an epidemic during the American Revolution.)
No, and perhaps the colonists wouldn't have been either, if George had eased up on us. But until the King tossed our demands on the floor and told his soldiers to shoot, there were a lot of people in this country who didn't want to break ties with what they considered the "best" nation in the world. I'm just describing a reactionary dynamic you can't deny.After Lexington & Concord, did King George rethink his colonial policies, consider easing up on the Coercive Acts or reopening Boston Harbor? Nope. It's not good to harden your position against protesters sometimes; the colonists' attitudes also hardened against the King for his refusal to meet them halfway. Everything went downhill from there.
Trump is following that same playbook, although BLM is keeping its cannons in the garage for the moment--I'm not suggesting we are working up to a shooting war here. But by not listening, by simply dismissing them and talking like they're the "enemy," Trump is hardening the protesters' attitudes toward the government, too. Locally, towns and cities are making changes, so maybe this thing will eventually die down, thanks to cooler heads. But on a national level, he's making the same mistake King George did. A lot of you are. The summer isn't half over. It's going to be a long one, the more people resist listening to each other.
No, you are suggesting we just surrender to the mob in the hopes it is placated.
The mob is NEVER placated.
They don't want us to listen, they want us to bend the knee.
No, and perhaps the colonists wouldn't have been either, if George had eased up on us. But until the King tossed our demands on the floor and told his soldiers to shoot, there were a lot of people in this country who didn't want to break ties with what they considered the "best" nation in the world. I'm just describing a reactionary dynamic you can't deny.After Lexington & Concord, did King George rethink his colonial policies, consider easing up on the Coercive Acts or reopening Boston Harbor? Nope. It's not good to harden your position against protesters sometimes; the colonists' attitudes also hardened against the King for his refusal to meet them halfway. Everything went downhill from there.
Trump is following that same playbook, although BLM is keeping its cannons in the garage for the moment--I'm not suggesting we are working up to a shooting war here. But by not listening, by simply dismissing them and talking like they're the "enemy," Trump is hardening the protesters' attitudes toward the government, too. Locally, towns and cities are making changes, so maybe this thing will eventually die down, thanks to cooler heads. But on a national level, he's making the same mistake King George did. A lot of you are. The summer isn't half over. It's going to be a long one, the more people resist listening to each other.
No, you are suggesting we just surrender to the mob in the hopes it is placated.
The mob is NEVER placated.
They don't want us to listen, they want us to bend the knee.
Listening isn't surrendering. It isn't necessarily saying "okay," either. If both sides won't be reasonable, they get what they get. But as off base as I think some of the demands are, others make sense. There is no hope of this ending until a dialogue gets started. That has to happen.
how is something that hasnt happened in 235 yrs a tradition in this country???Yup...it’s nothing new.
Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence
Enthusiasm for the American Revolution led colonists to burn, disfigure, and deface any symbol of Britain and its hated king.www.nationalgeographic.com
Fireworks, bands, and cookouts are essential ingredients of any Fourth of July celebration. What’s usually not on the menu is toppling statues, ripping down signs, or burning portraits. But in the days following the new nation’s declaration of independence, Americans went on a frenzy of destruction that makes today’s attackson Confederate and other symbols of white supremacy pale by comparison.
The most dramatic act took place in New York City on July 9, 1776. Early that evening, General George Washington and his troops, along with hundreds of citizens, crowded into what is now City Hall Park to hear a reading of the document that had just arrived from Philadelphia. The enthusiastic throng then headed for Broadway and the two-ton equestrian statue of King George III on Bowling Green.
This was the same route protestors took in 1765 when New Yorkers demonstrated against the Stamp Act taxing a host of goods. The following year, the colony’s assembly commissioned the statue in recognition of the king’s support in repealing the despised legislation. Modeled on the classical equestrian sculpture of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, it arrived from London in 1770 and was erected with great pomp. When John Adams paid his first visit to New York in 1774, he wrote to his wife Abigail that the king’s statue was “very large, of solid lead, gilded with gold, standing on a pedestal of marble very high.”
Two years later, fervent New Yorkers, with the help of Washington’s soldiers, quickly pulled it from its plinth and broke it into pieces. Much of the lead was shipped to Connecticut and melted down to make 42,008 bullets.
U.S. Postmaster Ebenezer Hazard wrote that the statue “has been pulled down to make musket ball of, so that his troops will probably have melted Majesty fired at them.”
A British officer who had the decapitated head rescued from a tavern before it reached the furnace noted that the nose was severed, the laurels were awry, and a musket ball was lodged “part of the way through his head.” He had it shipped back to London “to convince them at home of the infamous disposition of the ungrateful people of this distressed country.”
Washington wrote that while he didn’t doubt the zeal of those who mutilated the statue, he decried what had “so much the appearance of a riot, and want of order.” He told his soldiers to steer clear of such incidents in the future. (Washington also fought an epidemic during the American Revolution.)
Yup...it’s nothing new.
Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence
Enthusiasm for the American Revolution led colonists to burn, disfigure, and deface any symbol of Britain and its hated king.www.nationalgeographic.com
Fireworks, bands, and cookouts are essential ingredients of any Fourth of July celebration. What’s usually not on the menu is toppling statues, ripping down signs, or burning portraits. But in the days following the new nation’s declaration of independence, Americans went on a frenzy of destruction that makes today’s attackson Confederate and other symbols of white supremacy pale by comparison.
The most dramatic act took place in New York City on July 9, 1776. Early that evening, General George Washington and his troops, along with hundreds of citizens, crowded into what is now City Hall Park to hear a reading of the document that had just arrived from Philadelphia. The enthusiastic throng then headed for Broadway and the two-ton equestrian statue of King George III on Bowling Green.
This was the same route protestors took in 1765 when New Yorkers demonstrated against the Stamp Act taxing a host of goods. The following year, the colony’s assembly commissioned the statue in recognition of the king’s support in repealing the despised legislation. Modeled on the classical equestrian sculpture of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, it arrived from London in 1770 and was erected with great pomp. When John Adams paid his first visit to New York in 1774, he wrote to his wife Abigail that the king’s statue was “very large, of solid lead, gilded with gold, standing on a pedestal of marble very high.”
Two years later, fervent New Yorkers, with the help of Washington’s soldiers, quickly pulled it from its plinth and broke it into pieces. Much of the lead was shipped to Connecticut and melted down to make 42,008 bullets.
U.S. Postmaster Ebenezer Hazard wrote that the statue “has been pulled down to make musket ball of, so that his troops will probably have melted Majesty fired at them.”
A British officer who had the decapitated head rescued from a tavern before it reached the furnace noted that the nose was severed, the laurels were awry, and a musket ball was lodged “part of the way through his head.” He had it shipped back to London “to convince them at home of the infamous disposition of the ungrateful people of this distressed country.”
Washington wrote that while he didn’t doubt the zeal of those who mutilated the statue, he decried what had “so much the appearance of a riot, and want of order.” He told his soldiers to steer clear of such incidents in the future. (Washington also fought an epidemic during the American Revolution.)
The symbols of the hated America are being destroyed just like the symbols of the hated British king was destroyed. Even abolitionists are American. Frederick Douglass was a black abolitionist. The monument to the all black regiment in the civil war was defaced. We know that this has nothing to do with race. Burn Loot Murder wants the entire country destroyed.Like the statue of Matthias Baldwin in Philadelphia that was defaced with the words murder and colonizer. The man was an ardent abolitionist and champion for the right to vote for Black people. Also Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial was defaced. I can go on and on. The groups you loons are supporting are historically retarded.Yup...it’s nothing new.
Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence
Enthusiasm for the American Revolution led colonists to burn, disfigure, and deface any symbol of Britain and its hated king.www.nationalgeographic.com
Fireworks, bands, and cookouts are essential ingredients of any Fourth of July celebration. What’s usually not on the menu is toppling statues, ripping down signs, or burning portraits. But in the days following the new nation’s declaration of independence, Americans went on a frenzy of destruction that makes today’s attackson Confederate and other symbols of white supremacy pale by comparison.
The most dramatic act took place in New York City on July 9, 1776. Early that evening, General George Washington and his troops, along with hundreds of citizens, crowded into what is now City Hall Park to hear a reading of the document that had just arrived from Philadelphia. The enthusiastic throng then headed for Broadway and the two-ton equestrian statue of King George III on Bowling Green.
This was the same route protestors took in 1765 when New Yorkers demonstrated against the Stamp Act taxing a host of goods. The following year, the colony’s assembly commissioned the statue in recognition of the king’s support in repealing the despised legislation. Modeled on the classical equestrian sculpture of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, it arrived from London in 1770 and was erected with great pomp. When John Adams paid his first visit to New York in 1774, he wrote to his wife Abigail that the king’s statue was “very large, of solid lead, gilded with gold, standing on a pedestal of marble very high.”
Two years later, fervent New Yorkers, with the help of Washington’s soldiers, quickly pulled it from its plinth and broke it into pieces. Much of the lead was shipped to Connecticut and melted down to make 42,008 bullets.
U.S. Postmaster Ebenezer Hazard wrote that the statue “has been pulled down to make musket ball of, so that his troops will probably have melted Majesty fired at them.”
A British officer who had the decapitated head rescued from a tavern before it reached the furnace noted that the nose was severed, the laurels were awry, and a musket ball was lodged “part of the way through his head.” He had it shipped back to London “to convince them at home of the infamous disposition of the ungrateful people of this distressed country.”
Washington wrote that while he didn’t doubt the zeal of those who mutilated the statue, he decried what had “so much the appearance of a riot, and want of order.” He told his soldiers to steer clear of such incidents in the future. (Washington also fought an epidemic during the American Revolution.)
this is a modern day book burning to erase history,,,The symbols of the hated America are being destroyed just like the symbols of the hated British king was destroyed. Even abolitionists are American. Frederick Douglass was a black abolitionist. The monument to the all black regiment in the civil war was defaced. We know that this has nothing to do with race. Burn Loot Murder wants the entire country destroyed.Like the statue of Matthias Baldwin in Philadelphia that was defaced with the words murder and colonizer. The man was an ardent abolitionist and champion for the right to vote for Black people. Also Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial was defaced. I can go on and on. The groups you loons are supporting are historically retarded.Yup...it’s nothing new.
Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence
Enthusiasm for the American Revolution led colonists to burn, disfigure, and deface any symbol of Britain and its hated king.www.nationalgeographic.com
Fireworks, bands, and cookouts are essential ingredients of any Fourth of July celebration. What’s usually not on the menu is toppling statues, ripping down signs, or burning portraits. But in the days following the new nation’s declaration of independence, Americans went on a frenzy of destruction that makes today’s attackson Confederate and other symbols of white supremacy pale by comparison.
The most dramatic act took place in New York City on July 9, 1776. Early that evening, General George Washington and his troops, along with hundreds of citizens, crowded into what is now City Hall Park to hear a reading of the document that had just arrived from Philadelphia. The enthusiastic throng then headed for Broadway and the two-ton equestrian statue of King George III on Bowling Green.
This was the same route protestors took in 1765 when New Yorkers demonstrated against the Stamp Act taxing a host of goods. The following year, the colony’s assembly commissioned the statue in recognition of the king’s support in repealing the despised legislation. Modeled on the classical equestrian sculpture of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, it arrived from London in 1770 and was erected with great pomp. When John Adams paid his first visit to New York in 1774, he wrote to his wife Abigail that the king’s statue was “very large, of solid lead, gilded with gold, standing on a pedestal of marble very high.”
Two years later, fervent New Yorkers, with the help of Washington’s soldiers, quickly pulled it from its plinth and broke it into pieces. Much of the lead was shipped to Connecticut and melted down to make 42,008 bullets.
U.S. Postmaster Ebenezer Hazard wrote that the statue “has been pulled down to make musket ball of, so that his troops will probably have melted Majesty fired at them.”
A British officer who had the decapitated head rescued from a tavern before it reached the furnace noted that the nose was severed, the laurels were awry, and a musket ball was lodged “part of the way through his head.” He had it shipped back to London “to convince them at home of the infamous disposition of the ungrateful people of this distressed country.”
Washington wrote that while he didn’t doubt the zeal of those who mutilated the statue, he decried what had “so much the appearance of a riot, and want of order.” He told his soldiers to steer clear of such incidents in the future. (Washington also fought an epidemic during the American Revolution.)
I'm sitting out on the sidelines again as well.After Lexington & Concord, did King George rethink his colonial policies, consider easing up on the Coercive Acts or reopening Boston Harbor? Nope. It's not good to harden your position against protesters sometimes; the colonists' attitudes also hardened against the King for his refusal to meet them halfway. Everything went downhill from there.
Trump is following that same playbook, although BLM is keeping its cannons in the garage for the moment--I'm not suggesting we are working up to a shooting war here. But by not listening, by simply dismissing them and talking like they're the "enemy," Trump is hardening the protesters' attitudes toward the government, too. Locally, towns and cities are making changes, so maybe this thing will eventually die down, thanks to cooler heads. But on a national level, he's making the same mistake King George did. A lot of you are. The summer isn't half over. It's going to be a long one, the more people resist listening to each other.
I was scrolling through TikTok last night and there was an older couple with a kid. They say in unison whilst words flash across the screen the following; Trump is a white supremacist and if you vote for him then you are a white supremacist too. There is not a doubt in my mind that these people believe their own bullshit. Further, there are already the seeds being planted in preparation for Trump's reelection of how-once again- this election was stolen and there could be an uprising.
The time for "listening to each other" has passed. I notice that comes at the very end when everything written prior to that line appears to indicate that only one side needs to listen. It passed the day that locally owned businesses were burned to the ground and the looting began. For some of the good folks on this forum, they had a responsibility to do their own research on how the system actually works. That was entirely too much work and it was far easier to allow others to use stats from the 1990s. It was easier not to research some of the non-profits that were rolling out policy.
This will be the second time that I will not be voting for Trump. But, I will not be voting for Biden. The thought of voting for anyone in the Democratic Party makes my skin crawl.
Wouldn't be at all a fan of doing this, but. . .Yup...it’s nothing new.
Pulling down statues? It’s a tradition that dates back to U.S. independence
Enthusiasm for the American Revolution led colonists to burn, disfigure, and deface any symbol of Britain and its hated king.www.nationalgeographic.com
Fireworks, bands, and cookouts are essential ingredients of any Fourth of July celebration. What’s usually not on the menu is toppling statues, ripping down signs, or burning portraits. But in the days following the new nation’s declaration of independence, Americans went on a frenzy of destruction that makes today’s attackson Confederate and other symbols of white supremacy pale by comparison.
The most dramatic act took place in New York City on July 9, 1776. Early that evening, General George Washington and his troops, along with hundreds of citizens, crowded into what is now City Hall Park to hear a reading of the document that had just arrived from Philadelphia. The enthusiastic throng then headed for Broadway and the two-ton equestrian statue of King George III on Bowling Green.
This was the same route protestors took in 1765 when New Yorkers demonstrated against the Stamp Act taxing a host of goods. The following year, the colony’s assembly commissioned the statue in recognition of the king’s support in repealing the despised legislation. Modeled on the classical equestrian sculpture of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, it arrived from London in 1770 and was erected with great pomp. When John Adams paid his first visit to New York in 1774, he wrote to his wife Abigail that the king’s statue was “very large, of solid lead, gilded with gold, standing on a pedestal of marble very high.”
Two years later, fervent New Yorkers, with the help of Washington’s soldiers, quickly pulled it from its plinth and broke it into pieces. Much of the lead was shipped to Connecticut and melted down to make 42,008 bullets.
U.S. Postmaster Ebenezer Hazard wrote that the statue “has been pulled down to make musket ball of, so that his troops will probably have melted Majesty fired at them.”
A British officer who had the decapitated head rescued from a tavern before it reached the furnace noted that the nose was severed, the laurels were awry, and a musket ball was lodged “part of the way through his head.” He had it shipped back to London “to convince them at home of the infamous disposition of the ungrateful people of this distressed country.”
Washington wrote that while he didn’t doubt the zeal of those who mutilated the statue, he decried what had “so much the appearance of a riot, and want of order.” He told his soldiers to steer clear of such incidents in the future. (Washington also fought an epidemic during the American Revolution.)
So we can pull down statues of abolitionists and marital cheaters like MLK ?