There’s Still More to Learn From the Debate Over American Monuments

New grass surrounds the statue of of Gen. Phillip Schuyler in front of Albany City Hall on June 28, 2012.in the U.S. Monuments began coming down across the country. From Christopher Columbus in Connecticut to the massive Confederate statues on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va., public art honoring many historical figures identified with colonialism, slavery, and oppression was either vandalized, relocated, or removed.

Schuyler made important contributions to the cause of independence. He was appointed a major general in the Continental Army in 1775. In the face of a British invasion from Canada in the summer of 1777, Schuyler ordered a strategic retreat while creating obstacles to impede the enemy’s passage across difficult terrain. These decisions set the stage for the Patriot victory at the Battles of Saratoga in the fall, which ultimately proved a turning point in the war.

Is it unfairly applying modern values to the 18th century to consider Schuyler’s slaveholding against his military and political achievements? Hardly. There were many Americans during his lifetime who asserted the evil of slavery. A speaker at the 1788 Massachusetts Ratifying Convention declared that George Washington’s “character has sunk 50 per cent” because “he holds those in slavery who have a good right to be free as he has.

By the turn of the 20th century, the City Beautiful movement encouraged American communities coast to coast to embrace the Expo’s robust Beaux-Arts aesthetic. The movement emphasized enhancing urban landscapes with European-style parks and monuments, which signaled that Americans were on the move — both at home and abroad.

In 2022, as part of the broader debates about monuments, five Albany teenagers of color considered what to do about Schuyler, as part of the Young Abolitionist Leadership Institute. They recommended placing the bronze Schuyler in a busy pedestrian space nearby that could be called “The People’s Park.” There, the general would be joined by “modest statues, monuments, and artistic sculptures…which would celebrate and commemorate the contributions of Albany’s diverse and rich heritage.

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