TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The statue of Francis Eppes, the grandson of Thomas Jefferson, is back on the Florida State University campus.
It was removed after student opposition and a university advisory panel's report found that while Eppes played a roll in establishing FSU, he was not the founder. It was also learned he was a slave owner.
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Now, a plaque paints a more true picture of his past, both good and bad, and the statue is now in a less prominent place.
FSU criminology major James French told said everyone can learn from the replacement.
“Just in general, I think history, good or bad, we learn from it. And if we try to take that away, we can make the same mistakes again," French said. "So, I’m not saying its right or wrong, but if it is wrong, we still need to have that.
The same panel that suggested relocating the statute also recommended the renaming of the FSU law school building named after former Florida Supreme Court Justice B.K. Roberts, who wrote pro-segregation opinions, including one that refused to obey a U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow a black man to enroll in the University of Florida College of Law. The change required legislative approval, but the legislation did not pass.