Texas House Speaker Joe Straus has asked the State Preservation Board to remove a plaque in the State Capitol that honors the Confederacy, reports The Austin American-Statesman.Straus and other critics have charged that the plaque distorts history in order to glorify the Confederacy.
The plaque reads, in part, “We, therefore, pledge ourselves to preserve pure ideals, to honor our veterans, to study and teach the truths of history (one of the most important of which is that the war between the States was not a rebellion, nor was its underlying cause to sustain slavery).”
In his letter to the board, the Republican House Speaker wrote, “Texans are not well-served by incorrect information about our history.” He added, “Texans should expect to see an accurate depiction of history when they visit their state Capitol.”
Straus, who is a governing member of the Texas State Preservation Board, has also called for all monuments on the Capitol grounds to be reviewed for historical accuracy.