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• Position: THEN & NOW - President George Washington's Statue in North Carolina's capitol - Brief article

North Carolinians thought their capitol was too plain when it was built in 1794, so the General Assembly called for a statue of George Washington to add distinction. Thomas Jefferson desired a sculpture reflecting a Roman influence and recommended Italian artist Antonio Canova. When Washington arrived in Raleigh in 1821, he came dressed as a Roman general. The people adored it. Ten years later, however, Washington and the State House went down in...