Introduction

I decided to research and analyze the Abraham Lincoln statue in Portland, Oregon. The statue was built in 1927, and remained for nearly a century before being toppled over by protestors on the night of October 11th, 2020, during the string of global vandalism and removal of statues in response to the murder of George Floyd.

Biography of Abraham Lincoln

Known as the “Great Emancipator,” it would come as a shock to many that 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, would be a target of anti-racism protests. As someone who dedicated his presidency to gluing the divided country back together, Lincoln saw immediate conflict when he was elected in 1860. The South’s secession from the Union opened floodgates that would end in over 700,000 casualties called the “Civil War.” Although Lincoln’s efforts were initially fueled by a desire to keep the Union together, the moral dilemma of slavery made its way to the forefront of the course. In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in 1863, he made it clear that beliefs on slavery were too intertwined with the division of the union, and saving the union would require fighting for the freedom of the slaves in America. This combined with the 1863 Emancipation proclamation, which freed the slaves in the North, set in stone the goal of the war. Lincoln and the Union triumphed over the South and passed the abolition of slavery in January of 1865. Unfortunately, Lincoln’s assassination on April 15th of the same year gave him no chance to see the constitution’s 13th amendment put into practice. The legacy of Abraham Lincoln is amongst the largest of any figure in the country’s history, especially for Black people. Without Lincoln’s war efforts, slavery might have gone on in the South until the present day and the United States may have been separated permanently.

Abraham Lincoln, Henry Hughes, CC-BY 2.0

Statue Construction

On February 12th, 1927, the anniversary of Lincoln’s birthday, sculptor George Fite Waters casted a statue of Lincoln at a French foundry. Surprisingly, the painstaking detail in Waters’ work was thanks to an Englishman in Paris who not only was wearing the same frock coat Lincoln used to wear but happened to have the same bodily dimensions as the former president. Being unveiled in April of the same year and dedicated on October 5th, 1928, the statue stood at 10ft tall and weighed almost a ton. Henry Waldo Coe, a physician and man with political ties, was the benefactor that gifted the statue to the city of Portland, and Lincoln was raised for all to see in South Park Blocks specifically. Coe was also responsible for the donation of statues of Washington, Joan of Arc, and other historical figures, and it is interesting to scrutinize potential bias he holds with his donations as someone involved with politics.

“Abraham Lincoln, South Park Blocks, Portland, Oregon (2013),” Another Believer, CC BY-SA 3.0

The statue depicts Lincoln with an inclined head and one foot in front of him. Any people passing by would feel the energy and humble strength that Abraham Lincoln was claimed to hold during his presidency, but remembrance of that power would turn from a respectful nature to that of an oppressive and tyrannical one in the eyes of critics less than a century later. This growing community that pointed out Lincoln’s flaws would lay the pavement for the toppling of the statue in 2020. It is essential to be clear about how Abraham Lincoln was perceived in his own time rather than how he was and is venerated decades later. Lincoln’s powerful and stern attitude in the crafted statue was likely an intentional representation of Lincoln, as statues typically are reflective of the designer’s perception of them. The only question is: what did people dislike about Lincoln at the time?

“Statues are not a record of history, but of historical memory. They reflect what somebody at some point thought we should think”

Alex Von tunzelmann, (Fallen Idols, page 7)

Lincoln’s Controversy

After doing some backtracking to understand his approval at the time of his presidency, Lincoln was much less favored while he was still alive. At first, Lincoln encountered hefty opposition and critique from both the media and politicians, with many condemning his actions as unconstitutional and fearing the Union’s collapse. The midterm election of 1862 witnessed a strong rebuke of Lincoln’s policies, resulting in a notable loss of support in crucial states. Despite issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, aiming to liberate slaves in Confederate territories, Lincoln faced continued backlash, including desertions from disheartened soldiers and criticism from abolitionists who deemed the proclamation ineffective. The Proclamation also stoked fears of secession in the Northwest. The situation worsened with riots erupting in New York City in 1863, following the implementation of the Draft Law. Nevertheless, Union victories in Gettysburg and Vicksburg briefly restored support for Lincoln. As the 1864 election approached, Lincoln grappled with significant challenges within his own party, as Radical Republicans openly criticized his leadership. Additionally, the near capture of Washington and economic instability further undercut Lincoln’s standing.

However, the Democratic nomination of George McClellan, advocating for peace negotiations, unexpectedly boosted Lincoln’s prospects. The Union’s capture of Atlanta in September 1864 dramatically shifted public opinion in Lincoln’s favor, leading to his reelection in November. Despite his victory, Lincoln’s popularity remained relatively stagnant, with some Republicans voting for him reluctantly to thwart McClellan’s election. Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 elevated him into a martyr for freedom, sparking a surge in public sentiment in his favor and cementing the Republican Party’s dominance for years to come. Had Lincoln not been assassinated, perhaps he would have simply been known for a poor attempt to efficiently abolish slavery, a gruesome war that killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, and the lowest initial approval rating of any president in the history of the United States (albeit partly because four different presidential candidates were competing as opposed to the usual two).

Removal of the Statue

In 2020, the murder of George Floyd by the hand of Officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest directly resulted in nationwide, and later global, outrage. Over a hundred statues that were disagreed with by protestors in support of the Black Lives Matter movement were vandalized, toppled, relocated, or some combination. The Abraham Lincoln statue was no exception and was toppled by protestors on October 11th of the same year. In addition, the statue was spray-painted with the phrase “Dakota 38,” a blatantly obvious allusion to the Dakota Wars.

Portland, Oregon, October 2020, Another Believer, BY-SA 4.0

In 1862, the height of the Civil War depleted the Union’s resources, and the Dakota tribe was amongst the groups of people that were given little to no food as a result. Without easy ways to feed themselves, the Dakota led a series of raids in local counties to steal food for themselves. Led by Little Crow, the Dakota ended up capturing over 300 settlers, and were met with a military force driven by militia. After surrendering, nearly 500 Dakota raiders were put on trial for rape, murder, and other crimes. With the aid of short trials without offered representation, over 300 convictions were made, and death sentences were dealt out, until Lincoln reviewed the cases himself. He pardoned all but 38 of these convicted criminals, saving execution for those exclusively involved in civilian massacres. The 38 men were hanged, and the Dakota tribe was essentially banished from the state of Minnesota. To ensure this, the scalps of Dakota heads could be exchanged for cash rewards by the state government, Little Crow ending up one of the victims. The savage and believed-to-be unfair punishments for the Dakota were symbolized by the graffiti sprayed on the statue of the man who allowed the largest single execution event in American history. The fact that we have been taught so many things about venerated icons such as Lincoln yet have never been introduced to controversies such as this is misleading to the education of Americans about their own history.

Execution of Dakota Indians in Mankata, Minnesota, J. Thullen, Public Domain

Conclusion

Whether the statue of Abraham Lincoln was deserving of being taken down or if it is deserving of being repaired and erected once again is up for debate. There is no correct answer but merely a collection of opinions and perspectives. Abraham Lincoln did allow natives to be executed and Minnesota to hunt remaining ones in the area, potentially did not care about slaves’ freedom as much as we have been led to believe, there is the optimistic idea that he did pardon over 250 natives that he deemed unjustifiably facing death, and was the ultimate reason that slavery in America was abolished and that the southern states rejoined the union. We have to keep looking at historical sources to get the best possible picture in a world of easily accessible information loaded with bias and misinformation.

Bibliography

  • Elbaum, Rachel. “Portland Protesters Tear down Statues of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 12 Oct. 2020, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/portland-protesters-tear-down-statues-abraham-lincoln-theodore-roosevelt-n1242913.

  • Institution, Smithsonian. “Abraham Lincoln, 1809–1865.” Smithsonian Institution, 2024, www.si.edu/spotlight/highlights-abraham-lincoln-1809-1865#:~:text=Lincoln’s%20legacy%20is%20based%20on,social%20freedom%20for%20African%2DAmericans.

  • Copyright, 1927,. “VIEW LINCOLN STATUE IN FRENCH FOUNDRY: ART CRITICS AND REPORTERS SEE HEROIC FIGURE BY WATERS FOR PORTLAND, ORE.” New York Times (1923-), Feb 13, 1927, pp. 2. ProQuest, http://unh-proxy01.newhaven.edu:2048/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/view-lincoln-statue-french-foundry/docview/104227218/se-2.
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