Silent Sam

For other uses, see Silent Sam (disambiguation).

Silent Sam
The Confederate Monument
The statue in 2007, prior to its removal
Former location is located in North Carolina
Former location
Former location
ArtistJohn A. Wilson
Completion dateJune 2, 1913; 111 years ago (1913-06-02)
Medium
  • Bronze sculpture and plaques
  • Stone plinth
ConditionToppled by protesters Aug 2018
Location(former) McCorkle Place, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Coordinates35°54′50.22″N 79°3′8.55″W / 35.9139500°N 79.0523750°W / 35.9139500; -79.0523750
OwnerUniversity of North Carolina/Sons of Confederate Veterans (disputed)

The Confederate Monument, University of North Carolina, commonly known as Silent Sam, is a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier by Canadian sculptor John A. Wilson, which once stood on McCorkle Place of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) from 1913 until it was pulled down by protestors on August 20, 2018. Its former location has been described as "the front door" of the university[1] and "a position of honor".[2]

Establishing a Confederate monument at a Southern university became a goal of the North Carolina chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) in 1907. UNC approved the group's request in 1908 and, with funding from UNC alumni, the UDC and the university, Wilson designed the statue, using a young Boston man as his model. At the unveiling on June 2, 1913, local industrialist and UNC trustee Julian Carr gave a speech espousing white supremacy,[3][4][5] while Governor Locke Craig,[6] UNC President Francis Venable[7][8] and members of the UDC[9] praised the sacrifices made by students who had volunteered to fight for the Confederacy.[10][11] The program for the unveiling simply referred to the statue as "the Confederate Monument",[12] with the name "Soldiers Monument" also being used around the same time.[13] The name Silent Sam is first recorded in 1954, in the student newspaper The Daily Tar Heel.[13]

Beginning in the 1960s, the statue faced opposition on the grounds of its racist message, and it was vandalized several times during the civil rights movement. Protests and calls to remove the monument reached a higher profile in the 2010s, and in 2018, UNC Chancellor Carol L. Folt described the monument as detrimental to the university,[14][15] and said that she would have the statue removed if not prohibited by state law. Increased protests and vandalism resulted in the university spending $390,000 on security and cleaning for the statue in the 2017–18 academic year. On the day before fall classes started in August 2018, the statue was toppled by protesters, and later that night removed to a secure location by university authorities.[2][3][16] A statement from Chancellor Folt said the statue's original location was "a cause for division and a threat to public safety," and that she was seeking input on a plan for a "safe, legal and alternative" new location.[17][18]

UNC-Chapel Hill's board of trustees made a recommendation in December 2018 that the statue be installed in a new "University History and Education Center" to be built on campus, at an estimated cost of $5.3 million,[19][20][21] but this was rejected by the university system's board of governors.[22] The pedestal base and inscription plaques were removed in January 2019, with a statement from Chancellor Folt citing public safety.[23]

In November 2019 UNC donated the statue to theSons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) with a $2.5 million trust for its "care and preservation", on the condition that the statue would not be displayed in the same county as any UNC school.[24] The agreement to donate the statue was made before the lawsuit was filed, and the lawsuit itself was overturned by the judge who originally approved it, who ruled that the SCV lacked standing to bring the lawsuit.[25]

  1. ^ Svrluga, Susan (September 5, 2018). "Hundreds of UNC faculty members urge officials not to restore Silent Sam statue to its original location". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Killgrove, Kristina (August 22, 2018). "Scholars Explain The Racist History Of UNC's Silent Sam Statue". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Topple was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Green, Hilary N. "Transcription: Julian Carr's Speech at the Dedication of Silent Sam". people.ua.edu. University of Alabama. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  5. ^ Johnson, Kimberly (August 24, 2018). "'Silent Sam' Confederate Statue To Be Reinstalled: UNC Official". Charlotte Patch. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  6. ^ "Governor Craig's Address" (PDF). Raleigh News and Observer. June 3, 1913. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2018 – via University Archives at UNC Chapel Hill.
  7. ^ Venable, Frances P. "Folder 128: Speeches and Essays on Education: Scan 1". Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  8. ^ Venable, Frances P. "Folder 128: Speeches and Essays on Education: Scan 2". Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  9. ^ "[Mary Lyde Williams' speech at the dedication of Confederate Monument]" (PDF). Morning Star. Wilmington, NC. June 15, 1913. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference 1913 Observer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Leonard, Teresa (June 1, 2015). "UNC's Silent Sam statue was unveiled in 1913 ceremony". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference program was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Warren-Hicks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Bonner, Lynn (July 3, 2018). "National group's anti-Silent Sam billboards aim to spur statue's removal". News & Observer. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stancill Aug was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Jacobs, Julia; Blinder, Alan (August 31, 2018). "University of North Carolina Chancellor Explores New Spot for 'Silent Sam'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  18. ^ Carol L. Folt (August 31, 2018). "Message from Chancellor Folt on the future of the Confederate Monument". UNC at Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  19. ^ Stancill, Jane (December 3, 2018). "UNC officials recommend new building on campus just for Silent Sam". News & Observer. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  20. ^ Svrluga, Susan (December 3, 2018). "Silent Sam should stay on UNC campus in safer location, university leaders suggest". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  21. ^ Board of Trustees and Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (December 4, 2018). "Recommendation for the Disposition and Preservation of the Confederate Monument. A Four-Part Plan presented by UNC-Chapel Hill to the UNC Board of Governors" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  22. ^ Stancill, Jane; Grubb, Tammy (December 14, 2018). "'Back to the drawing board' — UNC board rejects latest Silent Sam plan. New panel launched". News & Observer. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  23. ^ Folt, Carol (January 14, 2019). "Chancellor Folt announces resignation, orders Confederate Monument pedestal to be removed intact". University Communications, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  24. ^ Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas; Zaveri, Mihir (November 27, 2019). "University of North Carolina Gives 'Silent Sam' Statue to Confederate Group". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference voided was invoked but never defined (see the help page).