ICYMI: University Removes Bust Of Its Namesake Over Slavery Ties

Matt Vespa

The Founding Fathers, Confederate generals, and even Catholic saints have been in the crosshairs of the progressive Left for their non-politically correct activities in history. The confederacy is self-explanatory, but the Founding Fathers being targeted for erasure is starting another debate: how far does this go? At Stockton University in South Jersey, the school removed the bust of its namesake Richard Stockton, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, from the campus’ library. Why? Well, because he owned slaves, which was not uncommon in the 18^th century. Does that mean slavery is good? No. Yet, this threshold for statues and the like is getting absurd. We’re all human. We all make mistakes and we’re all confined by the nature of our times. In the 18^th century, and many more before that, slavery was commonplace. We can acknowledge this without erasing these people from public view, as if to suggest that they never happened. The school says that the removal is temporary.

The bust, which had been on display at the Richard E. Bjork Library, was removed on Wednesday, the Atlantic City Press reported

The Press quoted the university’s president, Harvey Kesselman, as saying the debate over the bust had been going on for several years but that its removal was relevant in view of the recent spate of protests over statues of controversial historical figures, including the rally by white nationalists to save a monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that turned deadly in Charlottesville, Va.

Stockton’s action came as another area school, Bryn Mawr College, is taking steps to distance itself from M. Carey Thomas, a leading suffragist and perhaps its most influential president, citing her racist and anti-Semitic views.

Lori Vermeulen, Stockton’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, said Thursday in a letter to the campus community that the bust’s removal was temporary, and that there are plans to incorporate it in an exhibit that will show Richard Stockton’s role from a more historical perspective.

So, seriously where does this end? Are we going to raze Monticello and Mount Vernon to the ground? Washington and Jefferson were slave owners and our first and third presidents respectively. Do we just skip a few chapters there? Burying and censoring history changes nothing. And I feel this debate is going to last a long time, though if the Left wants to play things game—we should ask about the Founding Fathers. Unleash the crazy on the Left. That’s what we should b doing because public opinion is already not on their side—no one cares about Confederate statues—so let’s poke the bear a bit. When they want to tear down everyone, let’s see what happens.