On Sunday, a new statue of Christopher Columbus was placed on the White House grounds. It’s a 13-foot-tall, one-ton marble masterpiece now sitting just outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the West Wing.
In announcing the news, the administration stated on X, “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he’s honored as such for generations to come.”
Designed and crafted by Maryland sculptor Will Hemsley, the statue is a replica of the one that anarchists threw into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in the summer of 2020. Back during that rage-fueled season, unhinged provocateurs were lashing out over cultural claims of racial injustice. Along with the desecration and destruction of the Columbus statue, more than 30 monuments were torn down or removed.
Ronald Reagan was president in 1984 when the original monument was dedicated. During his remarks just outside the “Gateway” to Baltimore’s “Little Italy,” he stated:
When Columbus discovered America, he set in force a motion mightier than the world had ever known. People came here from every corner of the planet to be free and to improve their lot and that of their family. Well, we got off course a few years ago, but now we’ve set the good ship Columbia back sailing in the right direction. And I thank you for letting me be here to help you honor the man who started it all, Christopher Columbus.
History revisionists with an agenda shade truth or ignore inconvenient facts altogether. One of the popular anti-Columbus narratives is that the sailing explorer was driven by greed and a desire to exploit others. In fact, he was a devout believer in Jesus Christ. He saw himself as a missionary in search of new people and new pathways to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Those goals and Columbus’ pioneering accomplishments make the mere mortal man worthy of becoming a monument.
In the early days of America, modest monuments were constructed to acknowledge both people and turning points in history. The Bunker Hill Monument marked the beginning of the American Revolution. Engraved on the 221-foot granite obelisk is a phrase taken from Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Plantation. It reads, “His hand that made all things of nothing.” It’s taken from his larger observation that God can do great and mighty things from very little.
The Washington Monument obelisk was intended to honor America’s first president and his noble ideals, especially his commitment to freedom and independence. At the very top, facing east to receive the day’s first rays of sunshine, are two Latin words: “Laus Deo” or “Praise be to God”.
Not every statue or monument is intended to communicate such firmness of faith, but many of the men and women carved out of stone or whose images have been hewn out of metal were strong and unapologetic Christian believers. In most cases, those testimonies were not ancillary to their greatness but the driving force behind it.
Replacing or restoring statues that were vandalized or recklessly torn down is a helpful step in reminding Americans about the heroes on whose shoulders we stand. But simply returning to the status quo by putting back up old monuments won’t necessarily tell the full story of America’s storied history.
That’s why President Trump, in conjunction with America’s semiquincentennial, has announced plans for the “Garden of American Heroes” in Washington, D.C. in an area just south of the National Mall. It would include 250 life-size statues made of marble, granite, bronze, copper and brass.
Officials have stated historical figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin will be featured, but the Garden will also include a broad spectrum of other personalities ranging from Harriet Tubman to Babe Ruth to Walt Disney and Thomas Edison.
As Christians, we recognize that Jesus of Nazareth was the one and only perfect person who has ever walked the earth. As such, we don’t bow down or make idols of anyone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t acknowledge, honor, and learn from the achievements of others.
In an era when historic monuments and statues have been toppled or torn down in protest, the rising generation deserves to know more about the men and women whose faith and sacrifice helped build our country.
