More Wiping Out American History: Biden Nat. Park Service Wants to Remove William Penn Statue From Home

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

We've seen an effort over the past few years to seemingly disappear any statues of our founders and important historical figures whom someone might find offensive. 

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Now they're at it again with the proposed removal of the statue of William Penn in a Pennsylvania park at the site of his home to be more "inclusive." Credit Biden's National Park Service. They're inviting comment on the proposed changes. 

The National Park Service proposes to rehabilitate Welcome Park to provide a more welcoming, accurate, and inclusive experience for visitors. Welcome Park was designed by the internationally acclaimed design firm Venturi & Scott Brown Associates. The park is located on the site of William Penn's home, the Slate Roof House, and is named for the ship, Welcome, which transported Penn to Philadelphia. The design and construction of Welcome Park was funded by the Independence Historical Trust and was completed in 1982.

The proposed rehabilitation of Welcome Park includes expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia and was developed in consultation with representatives of the indigenous nations of the Haudenosaunee, the Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe of Indians, the Shawnee Tribe, and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. The reimagined Welcome Park maintains certain aspects of the original design such as the street grid, the rivers and the east wall while adding a new planted buffer on three sides, and a ceremonial gathering space with circular benches. The Penn statue and Slate Roof house model will be removed and not reinstalled. In a separate and future effort, new exhibit panels will be installed on the south site wall to replace the Penn timeline.

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Now, I have no issue with adding more about the local Indians who were an important part of Pennsylvania's history. But this is William Penn's home, and you're removing the stature of Willian Penn and the timeline that explained all he gave to the founding of this nation and Pennsylvania? How is that being more "inclusive?" That's being anti-history and anti-truth. 

"Rehabilitation" sounds more like "re-education." As our friends at our sister site Hot Air pointed out, this park is part of the Independence Hall historical park, and they're wiping away one of the historical figures who developed the ideas that formed our country.

William Penn was the first great hero of American liberty. During the late seventeenth century, when Protestants persecuted Catholics, Catholics persecuted Protestants, and both persecuted Quakers and Jews, Penn established an American sanctuary which protected freedom of conscience. Almost everywhere else, colonists stole land from the Indians, but Penn traveled unarmed among the Indians and negotiated peaceful purchases. He insisted that women deserved equal rights with men. He gave Pennsylvania a written constitution which limited the power of government, provided a humane penal code, and guaranteed many fundamental liberties.

For the first time in modem history, a large society offered equal rights to people of different races and religions. Pennโ€™s dramatic example caused quite a stir in Europe. The French philosopher Voltaire, a champion of religious toleration, offered lavish praise. โ€œWilliam Penn might, with reason, boast of having brought down upon earth the Golden Age, which in all probability, never had any real existence but in his dominions."

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As Democrats like Biden talk about "threats to democracy," it seems like they want to remove the people and things that made us a constitutional republic and the exceptional nation that we are. 


Related: 

Biden Delivers Angry Attack on Trump and Jan. 6 in Valley Forge Speech, but Trips Over Reality

Dem Senator Misquotes Ben Franklin About the Very Nature of Our Republic to Push Threat of J6

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