Due to recent protests, the McKinney City Council has decided to look into taking down the disgusting confederate statue that stands in the middle of Downtown McKinney. McKinney has proven itself to be a diverse and inclusive place, when more than 1,500 people marched through the streets of Downtown Mckinney on June 5th, 2020 in support of Black Lives Matter. But there is still a statue of a confederate general, James W. Throckmorton, standing in Downtown McKinney.

Throckmorton was the 12th governor of Texas during the reconstruction era. First, however, he was a confederate soldier. He was one of the first men in Collin County to join the Company of Mounted Riflemen from Collin County in May 1861 and then he joined the 6th Texas Calvary. He was elected as the Collin County delegate for the Constitutional Convention of 1866. He was okay with the small number of rights given to African Americans (they still couldn't vote) and refused to act on the 13th amendment. When he was elected governor he was against the 14th amendment. He was removed from office on July 30th, 1867 because of that. 

James W. Throckmorton was not the worst confederate to come out of Texas, but he was a poltroon. He was given many opportunities to fight with the Union for the freedom of all men, but he was only looking out for himself. We, as McKinney citizens, will not have our city defined by a coward who was ultimately removed from office because of his racist policies. Please stand with us to ensure that this statue is removed and we send a message to future generations that we recognize and condemn the atrocious past of the confederates. 

Source: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fth36