On Monday, in Charlottesville, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson’s home town, the city council voted 4-1 to eliminate celebrating the birthday of the author of the Declaration of Independence and the founder of the University of Virginia.
The closest working day to Jefferson’s birthday (April 13) used to be an official city holiday for workers in the city government; it will now be replaced with a day called Liberation and Freedom Day on March 3. According to Roanoke.com, “… March 3, 1865, Union troops under Gen. Philip Sheridan arrived in the area under orders to destroy the Virginia Central railroad line, cutting off Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s supply line to the Shenandoah Valley. Sheridan occupied the city until March 6, and many slaves used the occupation to free themselves.”
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