Frederick Douglass Statue Moved to U.S. Capitol


The statue of abolitionist, orator and District resident Frederick Douglass moved from One Judiciary Square to the U.S. Capitol in the National Statuary Hall along with the sculptures of other famous Americans. All 50 states have statues of two luminaries apiece in the Capitol building, but because D.C. is not a state, the Douglass statue and one of architect Pierre L’Enfant were not admitted. As a compromise, legislation authored by Rep. Dan Lungren, backed by D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and approved last year, allows D.C. to have one statue.

But Norton has vowed to “continue to fight to bring” the L’Enfant statue into the Capitol as well. After all, L’Enfant planned the city of Washington, the nation’s capital. His statue remains at One Judiciary Square.

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