July 14, 2022 (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) today introduced bicameral legislation to remove the designation of Arlington House as a memorial to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The House version of the bill was cosponsored by Virginia Representatives Gerry Connolly and Jennifer Wexton, and by D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. The legislation, previously introduced in the House by Beyer, was partially inspired by the request of descendants of people who were enslaved at Arlington House.
“As our country and our Commonwealth grapple with the history of racism and slavery and engage in a long-overdue reexamination of public symbols, we have an opportunity to make it clear that we do not revere Confederate leaders or condone the enslavement of human beings,” said Beyer. “Congress should never approve or celebrate violent insurrection against the United States government. Robert E. Lee himself opposed erecting Confederate monuments, and the site was chosen to punish his rebellion against the lawful government of the United States. Arlington House has a larger history which deserves memorialization and reflection, and it is therefore fitting and just that Congress remove the designation of Arlington House as a memorial to Robert E. Lee.”
“If we are serious about ending racial disparities, we need to stop honoring those who fought to protect slavery,” Kaine said. “I’m proud to be part of the effort to rename Arlington House, and am going to keep fighting for the kinds of reforms we need to create a society that delivers liberty and justice for all.”
After the historic site reopened to the public last June, Beyer met with a group of Arlington House descendant family members whose ancestors were enslaved and free. Stephen Hammond, a Syphax family descendant, a family historian and a spokesperson for the group, has worked to build support for the bill in the House and the Senate ahead of its reintroduction.
“I’m extremely proud that our collective voices have helped to get this bill reintroduced,” said Hammond. “Descendant family members are hopeful that this name, ‘Arlington House National Historic Site,’ and the conversations that follow will help broaden the narrative that has been focused primarily on one individual and will increase public awareness of the complete history of the Arlington House Plantation. There is a great deal to be learned at this historic site.”
Beyer consulted with local officials and interested parties while working on the legislation, including the Arlington Historical Society, which wrote:
“The Arlington Historical Society recognizes the historical significance of this estate and the recent efforts to share a history of the estate that encompasses all the eras [through which it has been a distinctive landmark]. We are especially interested in the residents of the Freedman’s Village as many of those residents resettled in communities throughout our county and became some of our early leaders. We support any future efforts to share a more complete and inclusive history of the estate.” The AHS’ full statement may be viewed at arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/2020/12/arlington-house-statement-from-ahs.
The mansion, which sits on federal land within Arlington National Cemetery and is administered by the National Park Service, overlooks the Potomac River and the nation’s capital. The house was built by Martha Custis Washington’s son, George Washington Parke Custis, as the nation’s first memorial to George Washington. Later, his daughter married Robert E. Lee and lived in the home until the Civil War, during which the site was chosen to serve as a national military cemetery in part to prevent Lee from returning. Congress passed legislation in 1955 designating the house the “Custis-Lee Mansion” to memorialize Lee, and subsequently amended the official title to “Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial.”
Beyer and Kaine’s updated legislation would identify and repeal statutes that memorialized Lee and add a formal historic site designation to the name, making it “the Arlington House National Historic Site.”
Text of the bill is available at beyer.house.gov/uploadedfiles/arlington_house_final_text.pdf.
Beyer, Kaine Introduce Bicameral Legislation To End Arlington House’s “Robert E. Lee Memorial” Designation
FCNP.com
July 14, 2022 (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) today introduced bicameral legislation to remove the designation of Arlington House as a memorial to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The House version of the bill was cosponsored by Virginia Representatives Gerry Connolly and Jennifer Wexton, and by D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. The legislation, previously introduced in the House by Beyer, was partially inspired by the request of descendants of people who were enslaved at Arlington House.
“As our country and our Commonwealth grapple with the history of racism and slavery and engage in a long-overdue reexamination of public symbols, we have an opportunity to make it clear that we do not revere Confederate leaders or condone the enslavement of human beings,” said Beyer. “Congress should never approve or celebrate violent insurrection against the United States government. Robert E. Lee himself opposed erecting Confederate monuments, and the site was chosen to punish his rebellion against the lawful government of the United States. Arlington House has a larger history which deserves memorialization and reflection, and it is therefore fitting and just that Congress remove the designation of Arlington House as a memorial to Robert E. Lee.”
“If we are serious about ending racial disparities, we need to stop honoring those who fought to protect slavery,” Kaine said. “I’m proud to be part of the effort to rename Arlington House, and am going to keep fighting for the kinds of reforms we need to create a society that delivers liberty and justice for all.”
After the historic site reopened to the public last June, Beyer met with a group of Arlington House descendant family members whose ancestors were enslaved and free. Stephen Hammond, a Syphax family descendant, a family historian and a spokesperson for the group, has worked to build support for the bill in the House and the Senate ahead of its reintroduction.
“I’m extremely proud that our collective voices have helped to get this bill reintroduced,” said Hammond. “Descendant family members are hopeful that this name, ‘Arlington House National Historic Site,’ and the conversations that follow will help broaden the narrative that has been focused primarily on one individual and will increase public awareness of the complete history of the Arlington House Plantation. There is a great deal to be learned at this historic site.”
Beyer consulted with local officials and interested parties while working on the legislation, including the Arlington Historical Society, which wrote:
“The Arlington Historical Society recognizes the historical significance of this estate and the recent efforts to share a history of the estate that encompasses all the eras [through which it has been a distinctive landmark]. We are especially interested in the residents of the Freedman’s Village as many of those residents resettled in communities throughout our county and became some of our early leaders. We support any future efforts to share a more complete and inclusive history of the estate.” The AHS’ full statement may be viewed at arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/2020/12/arlington-house-statement-from-ahs.
The mansion, which sits on federal land within Arlington National Cemetery and is administered by the National Park Service, overlooks the Potomac River and the nation’s capital. The house was built by Martha Custis Washington’s son, George Washington Parke Custis, as the nation’s first memorial to George Washington. Later, his daughter married Robert E. Lee and lived in the home until the Civil War, during which the site was chosen to serve as a national military cemetery in part to prevent Lee from returning. Congress passed legislation in 1955 designating the house the “Custis-Lee Mansion” to memorialize Lee, and subsequently amended the official title to “Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial.”
Beyer and Kaine’s updated legislation would identify and repeal statutes that memorialized Lee and add a formal historic site designation to the name, making it “the Arlington House National Historic Site.”
Text of the bill is available at beyer.house.gov/uploadedfiles/arlington_house_final_text.pdf.
Recent News
O’Connor Named Preseason All-A-10 First Team as Patriots Set Record TV Slate
George Mason men’s basketball senior guard Brayden O’Connor has been named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team, while the
WARNER, SCHUMER, WYDEN, OSSOFF LEAD SENATE RESOLUTION TO OVERTURN HARMFUL MARKETPLACE RULE THAT WILL DRIVE UP HEALTH CARE COSTS AND THREATEN COVERAGE FOR 1.8 MILLION AMERICANS
~ Sykes leads effort in the House to block rule that will raise premiums and out-of-pocket costs for working families
Meridian Football Runs Up The Score In Homecoming Rout Over Fauquier
The Meridian High School football team was understandably frustrated after a tough road loss at Millbrook last week, and they
Art Once Changed History — Will This Generation Answer?
Art has always been a mirror of society. It absorbs the anxieties, the aspirations, the unrest, and the triumphs of
Please Don’t Eat Your Children, Part 1
In his famous short essay, “A Modest Proposal: For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland From Being a
The End of Freedom: The Titans Who Own America’s Reality
Part 2 in a continuing Falls Church News-Press series on Technology in 2025 and the Future of America Falls Church
Stories that may interest you
O’Connor Named Preseason All-A-10 First Team as Patriots Set Record TV Slate
George Mason men’s basketball senior guard Brayden O’Connor has been named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team, while the Patriots’ upcoming conference schedule features a program-record 10 nationally televised
WARNER, SCHUMER, WYDEN, OSSOFF LEAD SENATE RESOLUTION TO OVERTURN HARMFUL MARKETPLACE RULE THAT WILL DRIVE UP HEALTH CARE COSTS AND THREATEN COVERAGE FOR 1.8 MILLION AMERICANS
~ Sykes leads effort in the House to block rule that will raise premiums and out-of-pocket costs for working families by billions of dollars ~ WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark
Meridian Football Runs Up The Score In Homecoming Rout Over Fauquier
The Meridian High School football team was understandably frustrated after a tough road loss at Millbrook last week, and they took it out on an unsuspecting Fauquier with a 60-22
Art Once Changed History — Will This Generation Answer?
Art has always been a mirror of society. It absorbs the anxieties, the aspirations, the unrest, and the triumphs of its time, and then reflects them back with a clarity