When the City of Mannheim took over today’s Franklin district from the US army, they kept the German versions of the street names to remember the US presence. Some streets were named by the U.S. as occupying power at the beginning of the 1950s. A year ago, residents pointed out that the legacy of U.S. President Andrew Jackson who gave his name to the Andrew-Jackson-Straße is controversial. The City of Mannheim has asked Philipp Gassert, Professor of Contemporary History at the Department of History at the University of Mannheim, to provide an expert opinion on whether the street should be renamed.
In his expert opinion, Gassert writes that President Jackson aimed at strengthening democracy in the United States. However, his Presidency is also linked to ethnic removal in the Southern states. A key project of his Presidency was the forced migration of five Native American tribes. “The measures for which Jackson was responsible were controversial and partly illegal. The consequences were disastrous. Many Native Americans died during the “death marches” to the West”, explains Gassert.
The City of Mannheim and Gassert suggest naming the street after U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. According to Gassert, Roosevelt is “linked very closely to the victory of democracy in the Second World War and the liberation from national socialism.” In a recent meeting, a majority of the Mannheim city council voted for changing the name to Roosevelt. If no objections are filed until 5 September, the street name will be changed to Franklin-D.-Roosevelt-Straße on 1 January 2022.
For the expert opinion (in German), please go to https://buergerinfo.mannheim.de/buergerinfo/getfile.asp?id=8158618&type=do