Posted on 09/05/2017 9:05:15 AM PDT by pabianice
On Aug. 16, William Bowen of Belchertown emailed town and state officials asking them to no longer recognize Lord Jeffery Amherst and rename the town of Amherst. The issue of Lord Amherst and his violent crimes against Native Americans has been on Bowen’s mind since he first started driving through Amherst nearly 39 years ago.
Bowen sent his petition to his town officials, Amherst’s town officials and state officials, sharing his views and stance on the town of Amherst being named after a “glorified butcher of Native Americans,” according to Bowen.
“It’s like naming a town after Adolf Hitler,” Bowen said.
Lord Jeffery Amherst was a British general in America during the later battles in the French and Indian War in the mid 1700s. Lord Amherst was documented using biological warfare against Native Americans, when he instructed that smallpox infected blankets be passed out to “the heinous dogs,” as he described them.
When Bowen worked in Amherst, he had several Native American customers who were offended by the town name.
“I think it is a slap in the face to Native Americans, and I’m not a Native American,” Bowen said.
He is currently in contact with the Wampanoag and other tribes in Western Massachusetts. He hopes to add their names to the petition and flood the governor’s office with petitions.
Several people have tried to rename the town of Amherst in the past. However, the cost of conversion has been the main issue blocking the change of the town’s name.
State Representative Solomon Goldstein-Rose said he had heard of people trying to rename the town of Amherst to “Norwottuck, after Emily Dickinson, or perhaps Lord Jeff’s sister or some relative with the same name who wasn’t so awful.” But none of these had become actual town meeting proposals, Goldstein-Rose noted.
Regarding the topic of a name change, Amherst Select Board Chair Douglas Slaughter said, “At the beginning of Select Board meetings, we have time set aside for public comment. Citizens may bring this or any other topic to a greater level of attention with us and the community as a whole at that time.”
“I just think it’s time for someone to speak up,” said Bowen, who encourages people to write to their congressmen, senators and governor if they feel the same way.
As of Aug. 24, Bowen had not received any responses from officials regarding his petition.
Abigail Charpentier can be reached at acharpentier@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @abigailcharp.
Obamaville.
They have a US Senator from their state who stole from the Indians.
Name it Lizzytown.
Fine, after we’re through in Amherst, we can start renaming schools, parks, towns, etc. named to honor that famous and vile racist, Woodrow Wilson.
How long before every town in America gets something or other from its history thrown down the Orwellian memory hole in the name of political correctness? Since by PC standards just about every historical figure prior to the 1960’s was “racist, sexist, and/or homophobic”, I doubt any place will be safe from a rewrite.
Well, might as well rename Amherst University, liberal bastion in M ASSachuttes.
Yep.
I like your moniker.
...I may be rancid butter, but at least I’m on your side of the bread.
Like football teams in college towns will be renamed after plants and birds.
since he first started driving through Amherst nearly 39 years ago.
Pay the Dane-Geld and the Danes never go away.
Muhammad, Mass.
Moonbatburg is my choice.
Okay, we’ll call it Custerville.......
many cities in Cal need to be renamed since they are named after catholic saints
Start here: Felipe de Neve, Governor of Spanish California, names the settlement El Pueblo Sobre el Rio de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula
So “Bowen” whoever he is or whatever he is finally, after 39 years of pondering finally got the balls to write a letter? Very, very bold (eye roll) but what changed? Why now, Bowen, whoever you are?
NOPE. PETA does not want ANY teams named after animals AT ALL!.................
Very true. Everybody in history is vulnerable to this hysteria. Every historic person has something in their background or their position on issues, which are not in line with 21st century politically correct thought.
Antifaland
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.