S-2369-119
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 119-238.
Sponsored by Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
What it does
This bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to remove a brass plaque, a stone inscription, and carved lettering bearing the name "Newlands" from the memorial fountain at Chevy Chase Circle in Washington, DC. Removed items would be offered to Newlands' descendants for 60 days, and if unclaimed, transferred to the National Park Service for the Rock Creek Park museum collection.
Who benefits
Advocates for removing memorials to historical figures associated with racist policies, since Newlands was a proponent of racial segregation and white supremacist views during his Senate career. The National Park Service gains a clearer curatorial mandate, and Newlands' descendants gain the option to claim the physical items.
Who is hurt
No group bears a direct material burden, though descendants of Newlands or those who view the memorial as reflecting local historical heritage may object to its alteration; some historic preservation advocates may see this as setting a precedent for altering federally maintained monuments.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that Newlands was an outspoken advocate for racial segregation and white supremacy who worked to disenfranchise Black Americans, and that continuing to honor him with a public memorial in the nation's capital is inconsistent with contemporary values. They contend that offering the removed items to descendants and preserving them in a museum collection, rather than destroying them, appropriately balances historical memory with removal of civic honor.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that removing historical markers erases context needed to understand the past, including the roles complicated figures played in shaping infrastructure like the fountain itself, and that renaming or altering monuments should follow a deliberative local process rather than direct congressional mandate. They contend that Congress addressing a single DC memorial by name sets a precedent for federal intervention into monument decisions traditionally left to local commissions or the National Park Service's own review processes.