Workers dismantled an imposing statue of President Theodore Roosevelt outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York on Wednesday (January 19).
The
Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt
, commissioned in 1925 and unveiled to the public in 1940, depicts Roosevelt on a horse, with a Native American and an African on foot beside him.
She has been criticized by some as a symbol of colonialism and racism.
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The New York City Public Design Commission voted last June to remove it, the museum said on its website.
His new destination will be Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, according to The
New York Times
.
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When filing the request to remove the statue from the town hall in June 2020, the museum explained on its website, that
"to understand the statue, we must recognize our country's enduring legacy of racial discrimination, as well as Roosevelt's troubling views on race.
We must also recognize the flawed history of the museum.
Such an effort does not excuse the past, but it can lay the groundwork for honest, respectful and open dialogue.”
The facility says it
"is proud"
of its long association with the Roosevelt family, but adds at the same time that
"the statue itself communicates a racial hierarchy that the museum and members of the public have long found disturbing."
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Roosevelt, who served as president from 1901 to 1909, was known for his rambunctious and bold demeanor.
He implemented antitrust and conservative reforms, although critics said he took an interventionist approach to foreign policy, including projecting US naval power around the world.
