A Confederate statue toppled in Washington, D.C., in 2020 has been reinstalled

"The reinstallation on Saturday was a follow-through of an earlier National Park Service announcement that the federal government intended to restore the statue, which it says had been damaged in "riots." The monument to Pike was first erected in 1901, but has long been a contentious issue within the nation's capital. The Pike statue is the only outdoor monument within Washington, D.C. to honor a Confederate general but it does not mention his military history."

"Pike, who was a Freemason and was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson, has also been identified by historians as possibly having been involved with the development of the Ku Klux Klan in the period after the Civil War. The plaque at the base of the statue, which was originally mounted by the Freemasons, calls Pike an "author, poet, scholar, soldier, jurist, orator, philanthropist and philosopher." Members of the D.C. Council, the district's legislature, have been calling for the statue's removal since 1992."

The Albert Pike statue, toppled and set ablaze in June 2020 during Black Lives Matter protests, has been renovated and reinstalled in Judiciary Square. The National Park Service said the restoration responded to damage from the 2020 unrest and aligns with federal historic-preservation law and executive orders to beautify the capital and restore pre-existing statues. Erected in 1901, the monument is the only outdoor Washington, D.C. memorial honoring a Confederate general but it omits mention of his military history. Pike was a Freemason, was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson, and has been linked by historians to possible early Ku Klux Klan development. The Freemasons' plaque praises his intellectual and civic roles. D.C. Council members have sought removal since 1992, and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton objected to the reinstallation, calling it "an affront to the mostly Black and Brown residents of the District of Columbia and offensive to members of the military who serve honorably," adding that "Pike himself served dishonorably."

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