Walking through London’s Parliament Square I noticed a familiar face: Abraham Lincoln. Since coming to UT from Illinois, I am always excited to see the namesake of the “Land of Lincoln.” Confusion quickly followed my excitement, as Parliament Square seemed to be the last place I would find our 16th President. Located on the northwest end of Westminster, the park almost exclusively contains statues of the UK and the former British Empire’s greatest leaders. Alongside Lincoln stand Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela each representing the pinnacle of British Leadership. When I returned to my room later that day, my curiosity led me to investigate this peculiar situation.
As it turns out, Lincoln never stepped foot on British soil. Besides the usual correspondence of a U.S. President with the U.K., his relationship with the U.K. was non-existent. So, why is Lincoln honored with these other men? On the surface, his position as an “Emancipator” earns him his place. When one digs deeper, the intentions are less genuine. The United States, in a show of soft power, donated the statue to the U.K. This stands in contrast to the others which were funded by the British government and Royal Trust. Moreover, the United States withdrew its original donation because they believed it was not regal enough.
Though I was happy to see one of my favorite Presidents in London, the story behind it reminded me how America’s soft imperialism affects both a nation’s and individual’s perception of the world. Thankfully, this class has provided me the skills to be critical of the world around me and recognize how even an out-of-place statue can be a complex tool of memory.