IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION approving language to be included on plaques to be affixed to the statues of Andrew Jackson located outside the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City and the Historic Truman Courthouse in Independence.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 20337, December 16, 2019
INTRODUCED BY Jalen Anderson and Crystal Williams, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, in commemoration of the naming of the County of Jackson in 1826 in honor of Andrew Jackson, statues in the likeness of Andrew Jackson were authorized and dedicated at the downtown courthouse in Kansas City and the Historic Truman Courthouse in Independence; and,
WHEREAS, it has become clear that the historical record of Andrew Jackson includes not only his decisive actions as a military hero and as the 7th President of the United States but also the evidence of his support of property ownership in perpetuation of the institution of slavery and support for the Indian Removal Act; and,
WHEREAS, the County now desires to acknowledge these aspects of the history of Andrew Jackson's life and to educate the public on these facts; and,
WHEREAS, the placement of plaques with this information on these statues would help provide a fair and balanced basis for these statues continuing to remain on Jackson County property; and,
WHEREAS, the proposed text of the plaques would read as follows: "In 1826, the Missouri State Legislature named this County after the hero of the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812 - Andrew Jackson - nearly three years before he became the nation's seventh President. Almost two centuries later, we hold a broader, more inclusive view of our nation. Jackson's ownership of slaves and his support for the Indian Removal Act are part of his history. The Act forced Native Americans from their home territories so that white settlers could live there and triggered the Trail of Tears, a 1,000-mile march resulting in the death of thousa...
Click here for full text