Crews began removing the final three Confederate-linked statues from the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol on Friday after Democrats included a provision in the state budget directing the removal. The statues depict Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, Confederate General and two-time Virginia Governor William "Extra Billy" Smith, and Confederate Army surgeon Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire.
The monuments had long stood on Capitol Square: Jackson's statue since 1875, McGuire's since 1904, and Smith's since 1906. According to the Virginia Department of General Services, the statues have been gifted to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation following their removal. Former state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced legislation earlier this year directing the state to remove the statues. The measure passed the Senate but died in a House committee before budget negotiators resurrected the plan.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive advocates have long argued that Confederate monuments on public property represent a celebration of treason and white supremacy rather than legitimate history. They point to the growing movement, accelerated by the 2020 protests following George Floyd's death, as a necessary reckoning with symbols of the Confederacy.
"These statues were erected decades after the Civil War ended, often during periods of Jim Crow segregation," said one Democratic budget negotiator who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. "Virginia is making a statement that our state Capitol grounds should reflect all Virginians, not just those who fought against the United States."
The removal effort builds on previous actions in Virginia, where 38 Confederate monuments were taken down from 2020 to 2024. Supporters note that Jackson's monument on Richmond's Monument Avenue was already removed in July 2020 during the protests following George Floyd's death.
What the Right Is Saying
Critics of the removal argue that the budget process was used to circumvent transparent legislative debate on a contentious issue. Conservative commentators have characterized the move as part of broader cultural efforts they view as erasing American history.
"It's interesting that the people who tore down statues, renamed schools, and banned mascots, are furious that the inviolable name of Lake Ontario could ever be altered," wrote David Marcus, a Fox News Digital columnist. "I guess Woke 1.0 is still with us, after all."
Some Republican legislators in Virginia have questioned whether budgetary provisions should be used for what they describe as policy decisions traditionally handled through standalone bills with full public debate. Others argue that historical monuments serve educational purposes and that their removal represents a selective approach to history.
What the Numbers Show
According to data compiled by civil rights organizations tracking monument removals, approximately 90 Confederate statues were removed in 2020 alone nationwide. From 2020 through 2024, a total of 123 Confederate monuments have been taken down across the country, including 38 in Virginia. Ten monuments were torn down by demonstrators during the protests and riots that followed George Floyd's death.
Public polling conducted during that period showed that a plurality of Americans favored keeping statues in place rather than removing them, though opinions varied significantly by region, race, and political affiliation. The Jackson statue had stood at the Virginia Capitol for 149 years before its removal began Friday.
The Bottom Line
The removal of the final Confederate monuments from Virginia's State Capitol grounds marks a significant moment in the state's ongoing reexamination of its Civil War-era symbols. By embedding the provision in the state budget rather than passing standalone legislation, Democrats ensured the measure would reach Governor Glenn Youngkin's desk without facing potential defeat in the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.
The statues' transfer to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation means they will remain accessible for historical study, though no longer on public Capitol grounds. The episode illustrates how budget negotiations continue to serve as vehicles for policy decisions that might not survive standard legislative processes, a practice both parties have employed across multiple issue areas in recent years.