×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Wednesday
05
Aug 2026
weather symbol
Athens 34°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Could the racist past of Mt. Rushmore’s creator bring down the monument?

Things are taking a turn to the surreal...

Newsroom July 3 04:12

Δείτε περισσότερα άρθρα μας στα αποτελέσματα αναζήτησης

Add Protothema.gr on Google

Confederate President Jefferson Davis has been toppled from the most iconic street in Richmond, Va., and his neighbor, rebel Gen. Robert E. Lee, may soon follow. A U.S. vice president and ardent slavery defender, John C. Calhoun, was plucked from his 115-foot perch in the center of Charleston, S.C. And President Theodore Roosevelt may soon disappear from the steps of New York City’s American Museum of Natural History.

Is there any monument in the United States that’s too big to fail a racial history test? A piece of public art with a connection to our checkered past that is too important, too monumental, to be removed from the face of America? Could Mt. Rushmore be that ultimate test?

We could soon find out. President Trump is planning to spend Friday watching the fireworks — and, no doubt, lobbing a few verbal ones — in the Black Hills of South Dakota. His visit will likely remind Americans that Rushmore’s presidential problem is as plain as the nose on George Washington’s face. Washington (owner of 123 slaves) and Thomas Jefferson (who enslaved more than 600 humans throughout his life) are only the beginning. Roosevelt’s mixed legacy — the Smithsonian flat-out calls him a “racist” even while noting he invited Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House — adds another pockmark on those faces of history.

See Also:

>Related articles

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church invites community to participate in Greek American identity study

France strengthens Greece–Cyprus power link as Meridiam acquires majority stake

Mitsotakis and Egypt’s President El-Sisi hold phone call as Egypt offers wildfire assistance

PM Mitsotakis announces €3.5 billion support measures for economy

Yet Mt. Rushmore’s hold on history is threatened by elements that go beyond the question of whether its subjects merit memorializing. Even before the first chip of rock had been hewn from the mountainside, Native Americans objected that the carving was on land they considered both sacred and stolen. Less controversial at the time was the past of Rushmore’s creator, an enigmatic Danish American named Gutzon Borglum. By the early 1900s Borglum was a celebrated sculptor, especially of Lincoln statues. He was also an avowed racist.

Read more: The Los Angeles Times

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#Black Lives Matter#extreme left#ideology#left#Liberals#Mt. Rushmore#neo-liberals#politics#usa#wing#world
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Greece–Cyprus power interconnection agreement signed: Mitsotakis says Meridiam’s investment is a strong vote of confidence in Greece

August 5, 2026

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church invites community to participate in Greek American identity study

August 5, 2026

France strengthens Greece–Cyprus power link as Meridiam acquires majority stake

August 5, 2026

Mitsotakis and Egypt’s President El-Sisi hold phone call as Egypt offers wildfire assistance

August 5, 2026

Due to the heatwave, Pope Leo welcomed the faithful inside St. Peter’s Basilica

August 5, 2026

Measures for Western Attica’s fire victims: Fast-tracked compensation and special measures for businesses

August 5, 2026

Fire breaks out in Koropi Industrial Area, 112 sends readiness alert to residents

August 5, 2026

How to deal with a snake bite: What you need to know before heading into nature

August 5, 2026
All News

> Greece

In reverence, the emotional deposition in Jerusalem, see photos & video

The Holy Temple of the Resurrection opened after many days due to the war between Israel and Iran

April 10, 2026

In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

April 10, 2026

Schedule for Epitaph Procession today (10/4)

April 10, 2026

Perfect weather for Easter excursions, according to Tsatrafyllia’s forecast

April 10, 2026

Easter in Greece: The customs that continue in Greek tradition – From Nafpaktos to Corfu

April 10, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα