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Published 11:19 IST, July 8th 2020

Andrew Jackson statue loses status in city named for him

A Mississippi city named after former U.S. President Andrew Jackson will remove a downtown statue of him and put it in a less prominent spot.

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 A Mississippi city named after former U.S. President Andrew Jackson will remove a downtown statue of him and put it in a less prominent spot.

The City Council in Jackson, Mississippi, voted 5-1 Tuesday to relocate the bronze figure that has stood outside City Hall since the early 1970s.

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It's the latest of many changes in the United States as people reconsider monuments to historical figures with connections to slavery and racism.

No immediate plans were made for a time or place to move the Andrew Jackson statue, which is a bit larger than life and shows him standing in a military uniform. City Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay said it could go to a museum.

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Councilman Kenneth Stokes proposed removing the statue, saying the city is showing leadership by making the change. The only dissenting vote came from the council's lone Republican, Ashby Foote.

Jackson is Mississippi's capital city, with a population of about 160,600. About 82% of its residents are African American.

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Andrew Jackson was the seventh president, serving from 1829 to 1873. In addition to owning enslaved people, he also oversaw the forced migration of Native Americans in which many died. His face is on the $20 bill.

Four people have been charged with trying to pull down a large statue of Jackson near the White House during protests June 22 in Washington.

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11:19 IST, July 8th 2020