We have been discussing the removal of statues nationwide from cities and colleges. The National Park Service is now receiving fire over a plan to remove the statue of William Penn from a Philadelphia park commemorating his founding of Pennsylvania. The park is near his former home. The Biden Administration is explaining that removing Penn from a park in Pennsylvania will “provide a more welcoming, accurate, and inclusive experience for visitors.” Nothing says Sylvania like a Penn-free park.
The park was built by the Friends of Independence National Historical Park in 1982 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Philadelphia with the arrival of Penn’s ship, Welcome.
In August 1682, Penn took 100 passengers and 36 crew members on a harrowing voyage from Deal, England to Pennsylvania. It took roughly 58 days in this crowded ship that was only 120 feet in length and 24 feet wide. The 100 passengers were mostly part of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, from Sussex, England.
The NPS announced that it wants to remove the statue as part of an “expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia” being developed in collaboration with representatives from the Haudenosaunee, the Delaware Nation, the Delaware Tribe of Indians, the Shawnee Tribe and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma.
The NPS site soliciting suggestions appears to rule out the retention of the statue as one of those options: “The Penn statue and Slate Roof house model will be removed and not reinstalled.”
I personally think that including contextual elements on the Native American tribes is a good idea. That can be achieved without the removal of the Penn statue and hopefully the NPS can still be convinced to opt for a design that still retains the focus on Penn and his ship, which was the worthy purpose of the park.
The story of Penn and these families is worthy of celebration. It was an example of the strength and bravery of families who came to these shores in search of freedom and opportunity.
Update: The NPS has withdrawn its plans to remove the statue of Penn from Welcome Park on inclusivity grounds. nps.gov/inde/learn/new The decision proves Penn’s point when he declared “only trust thyself, and another shall not betray thee.”
The NPS has now reversed its decision. Good. They were idiots to have made the original decision.
“The NPS has now reversed its decision.”
Good to know. Thanks. That they considered removing it is bad enough.
The individual that made this decision must be identified and defend her/his position at a public hearing. Public funds and resources spent on any revisionist history must always be subject to such protocol.
The National Park Service is now receiving fire over a plan to remove the statue of William Penn from a Philadelphia park commemorating his founding of Pennsylvania. The park is near his former home. The Biden Administration is explaining that removing Penn from a park in Pennsylvania will “provide a more welcoming, accurate, and inclusive experience for visitors.”
Nations/persons that destroy their past have no future.
Looks like calling the this Administration Marxists is right on point. They always start with a statue that is questionable and end with wiping out our history. It is very purposeful.
Since the National Park Service is now scraping City Parks, let them come to Tucson and haul away this filthy statue of Mexican Terrorist Pancho Via, that Tucson has worked hard for 40 years to hide within a tight circle of trees.
The name of the Mexican bandit to whom you refer is spelled Pancho Villa. 🙂
Well, Pennsylvania will either fight to preserve its heritage, or it won’t. What say you, election cheater Federman?
Hear, hear!
INSURRECTION:
“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”
– The Eminently Ineligible Barack Hussein “Barry ‘I-Have-A-Statue-In-Jakarta’ Soetoro” Obama
“The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.”
― George Orwell, 1984
And so the NPS makes another mistake…
I thought you said you were leaving, Lawn Boy
(—As an aside, Wm. Penn PAID Native American tribes for the purchase of this land in the Treaty of Penn. He didn’t run them out, “conquer” them, kill them off, assert superiority over them, or enslave them; –he negotiated with them. This makes his removal more egregious.)
But it is but one of several elements directed toward “whitewashing” America’s history, cultures, values, and general heritage, –only now it’s colorwashing instead of whitewashing. I have noticed that there has been a concerted effort on Public Television (ostensibly “educational” programming) as well as History and Story televised programs to quietly refer to “renamed” places, buildings, and events, etc., and engage in SELECTIVE FACT manipulation/distortion. Latest example, a subtle History program changed time markers from “B.C.” to “B.C.E.” (designated for “Before the Common Era,” further reduced to “C.” in some references. (look it up.) Apparently, Jesus and God are now anathema to a more Enlightened Society, the new “Chosen One(s).”
-And for those who have brought up “race” in these comments, I will tell you that over the New Year’s weekend, weather forced us indoors, where we goofed off, but also watched a lot of television. We witnessed an incredible number of Blacks on ALL networks and channels, in virtually every program, every commercial, every news reporter interview, etc. —-much, much, more than their representative presence in our population (some 13.7%). Tyler Perry apparently now has his own channel/network (good for him, no problem), called “365” –BUT advertises it as “all Black, all the Time.” Can’t even imagine how a network would advertise , “All White, All the Time.”
In Jacobellis v. Ohio, SCOTUS aimed to define an appropriate test for pornographic obscenity, wherein Justice Potter Stewart famously remarked, “I know it when I see it.” Clearly, there are subversive, subsurface, subliminal actors and forces at work to discredit, denounce, destroy Western civilization’s story. I hope we all will know it when we see it.
Happy New Year to All!
I think the removal of the statue is the point of the action by the NPS. The inclusion of Native American elements is the fig leaf.
Once liberals knew they could convince Democrats that girls could be boys by cutting off their breasts and boys could be girls by cutting off their genitals, they knew they could manipulate them. They used their ability to manipulate the Dems with the absurdity of Covid Shutdowns and the lies about dossiers, BLM, a laptop that was Hunter’s, and the obvious mental incapacity of the sitting president. So of course Democrats believe their new lies like “removing Penn from a park in Pennsylvania will “provide a more welcoming, accurate, and inclusive experience for visitors.” The Democrats and Progressives are truly liars – right up there with Orwell’s Squealer. It’s time for intelligent people to state the obvious out loud!
Dennis is Napoleon and Svelaz is Squealer.
“expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia”
Translated into English:
“Native Americans” were “noble savages.” Western civilization is evil.
Ever wondered how knowledge and cultural values (e.g., from ancient Greece and Rome) are destroyed and lost for centuries?
Barbarians take control.
I thought the native Indians lost.
How disappointing. I just don’t have the words….. Surely, it’s possible to have a more inclusive and fair society without erasing or watering down the history of this country.
The NPS announced that it wants to remove the statue as part of an “expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia”
When you look up “weasel words” in the dictionary, they give the above as an example.
When Barack Hussein Obama (once known as Barry Soetoro) called for the fundamental transformation of America, the words of the poet Maya Angelou rings clear and true: “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.
Yep. The mask covering the ugly mug of Bathhouse Barry has long been removed . Hopefully, his Larry Holmes-looking spouse, Big Mike, will keep his pants on.
Or the NPS could just DO NOTHING.
We are 33T in debt. It is not like this is the best use of government money.
If it is, then please reduce our taxes and return the money to us.
Nothing demonstrates inclusivity like the removal of a statue of a White guy from a public park. Philadelphia is home to many memorials to our colonial founders. I say leave them be, warts and all. Do not edit, censor, or whitewash history.
My favorite place in Philadelphia: Christ Church near Chestnut Street.
This administration is run by Stalinists who wake up every morning with the goal of erasing the history and culture of our Nation. Combined with the idiocy and indoctrination that passes for education, the complete brainwashing of the next generation will be complete in the next 5-10 years. I am no fan of Trump and dont think he has the discipline to be very effective but I will crawl through broken glass to rid the country of the menace that is the Biden Administration