Monument to Confederate Women, Little Rock, AR
1913 (Photograph 1995)
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This Monument to Confederate Women (also known as Mother of the South) by J. Otto Schweizer was unveiled in 1913 on the State Capitol grounds in Little Rock, Arkansas. The bronze sculpture on a marble base depicts a mother and her two younger children saying farewell to her 16-year-old son who is leaving to join his father in battle. The oldest son is dressed in a Confederate uniform with CSA on his belt buckle.
Engraved on a bronze plaque on the base entitled "TO THE CONFEDERATE WOMEN OF ARKANSAS
1861-1865" is the following:
"WHOSE PIOUS MINISTRATIONS TO OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS SOOTHED THE LAST HOURS OF THOSE WHO DIED FOR THE OBJECT OF THEIR TENDEREST LOVE; WHOSE DOMESTIC LABORS CONTRIBUTED MUCH TO SUPPLY THE WANTS OF OUR DEFENDERS IN THE FIELD; WHOSE JEALOUS FAITH IN OUR CAUSE SHONE A GUIDING STAR, UNDIMMED BY THE DARKEST CLOUDS OF WAR; WHOSE FORTITUDE SUSTAINED THEM UNDER ALL THE PRIVATIONS TO WHICH THEY WERE SUBJECTED; AND WHOSE PATRIOTISM WILL TEACH THEIR SONS TO EMULATE THE DEEDS OF THEIR SIRES.
THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED BY THE STATE OF ARKANSAS AND THE CONFEDERATE VETERANS."
In June 2020, following a series of national protests against police brutality and racism in policing, a petition to remove Confederate statues from the Arkansas State Capitol grounds to a more appropriate location was posted to Change.org. In August 2020, barriers were added around the Confederate Soldiers Monument and the Monument to Confederate Women to protect them after threats of vandalism and destruction were shared on social media. According to Arkansas state law, the legislature must approve removal of monuments from the Capitol grounds. As of January 2021, the Confederate statues remain in place near the Arkansas State Capitol.
This photo and description of the Monument to Confederate Women, Little Rock, Arkansas are part of materials from its registration form for the National Register of Historic Places.
Engraved on a bronze plaque on the base entitled "TO THE CONFEDERATE WOMEN OF ARKANSAS
1861-1865" is the following:
"WHOSE PIOUS MINISTRATIONS TO OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS SOOTHED THE LAST HOURS OF THOSE WHO DIED FOR THE OBJECT OF THEIR TENDEREST LOVE; WHOSE DOMESTIC LABORS CONTRIBUTED MUCH TO SUPPLY THE WANTS OF OUR DEFENDERS IN THE FIELD; WHOSE JEALOUS FAITH IN OUR CAUSE SHONE A GUIDING STAR, UNDIMMED BY THE DARKEST CLOUDS OF WAR; WHOSE FORTITUDE SUSTAINED THEM UNDER ALL THE PRIVATIONS TO WHICH THEY WERE SUBJECTED; AND WHOSE PATRIOTISM WILL TEACH THEIR SONS TO EMULATE THE DEEDS OF THEIR SIRES.
THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED BY THE STATE OF ARKANSAS AND THE CONFEDERATE VETERANS."
In June 2020, following a series of national protests against police brutality and racism in policing, a petition to remove Confederate statues from the Arkansas State Capitol grounds to a more appropriate location was posted to Change.org. In August 2020, barriers were added around the Confederate Soldiers Monument and the Monument to Confederate Women to protect them after threats of vandalism and destruction were shared on social media. According to Arkansas state law, the legislature must approve removal of monuments from the Capitol grounds. As of January 2021, the Confederate statues remain in place near the Arkansas State Capitol.
This photo and description of the Monument to Confederate Women, Little Rock, Arkansas are part of materials from its registration form for the National Register of Historic Places.
This primary source comes from the Records of the National Park Service.
National Archives Identifier: 26140488
Full Citation: Monument to Confederate Women, Little Rock, AR; 1913 (Photograph 1995); National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Arkansas; National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017; Records of the National Park Service, Record Group 79; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/monument-to-confederate-women-little-rock-ar, April 20, 2025]Activities that use this document
- Debating Monuments, Memorials and Statues
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