America is more than an idea
Thomas Jefferson is officially unwelcome at the New York City Council. Officials removed his statue from the council’s chambers back in 2021 because they considered its presence offensive.
TL;DR
- Thomas Jefferson's statue was removed from New York City Council chambers in 2021 due to its presence being considered offensive.
- Critics view founders like Jefferson as "slaveholding pedophiles who should not be honored."
- The removal of statues and renaming of schools targeting founding figures are seen as attacks on national heroes and a weakening of social cohesion.
- The article argues that founders embedded British cultural practices such as private property, voluntary association, and self-government into American institutions.
- Rejecting the founders is considered dangerous and could lead to policies that undermine prosperity, such as uncritical mass immigration.
- The author suggests that immigrants bring their cultural values, which can be slow to change and may not align with free-enterprise culture.
- The article links some politicians aligned with "democratic socialism" to immigrant backgrounds.