Statue of founding father who enslaved hundreds on display at Freedom Plaza | NBC4 Washington

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]All right, 13 new statues are now on display at Freedom Plaza in downtown DC.

[00:00:04]The National Park Service says the statues depicting prominent American figures are part of the nation's 250th independent celebration. But there is some controversy on at least one of those figures, Caesar Rodney. The statue of the founding father was taken down in Delaware in 2020 because of Rodney's legacy of enslaving hundreds of people.

[00:00:24]Let's get to News4's Dominique Moody who joins us live along Pennsylvania Avenue with a look at what people are saying.

[00:00:30]Dominique.

[00:00:33]>> Yeah, Mauricio. So, we see those statues kind of scattered throughout Freedom Plaza. In fact, you can see at least one over my shoulder, but I want us to go to the video now because it shows them a little bit closer and you can see the different types of statues that are here at Freedom Plaza. Now, Mauricio, you hit it on the head when you talked a little bit about Caesar Rodney. The art piece arrived in the nation's capital a few weeks ago. Rodney was an officer during the American Revolution and owned those who were enslaved. His statue was removed from Wilmington, Delaware during the protest in the summer of 2020. Now, according to the Department of Interior, the National Park Service staff installed the statue on Friday. News 4 spoke with those who saw the statues and this was their response.

[00:01:16]>> Seeing all the the statues and all the discussion about the statues and stuff like that, >> it's interesting. We, you know, enjoy No, >> it's very emotional. Yes, it is.

[00:01:25]>> I'll show >> it. Just uh anything that's got to do with the military and things of that sort has my heart.

[00:01:35]>> A story about America, right? Then be intentional, be responsible, and tell the whole thing.

[00:01:45]>> Yeah. And Mauricio, we did reach out to the National Park Service just to get an indication of who the other statues depict. We are still waiting for their response and also we know right now that Freedom Plaza is closed as they continue with this in installation. Back to you.

[00:02:00]>> All right, Dominique live from Freedom Plaza. We know you will stay on top of the story. Thanks so much, my friend.