Change Amherst

Joseph Gough | 08/28/20

Lord Jeffrey Amherst was a British military officer in the pre-revolution American colonies. He acted as Governor of Virginia and Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in America. Not only was he one of the highest ranking members of the embarrassed losing side during the American Revolution, but he also lost numerous battles against the outnumbered and outmatched native peoples in the US and Canada. This genocidal sociopath was so obsessed with exterminating the native people in his imperialist mission of ethnic cleansing that he actually endorsed the use of biological warfare on the women and children of the local tribes. By supporting the decision to give blankets laced with the smallpox virus as a token in a peaceful ceasefire, Amherst knowingly put women and children through a torturous death in the dead of winter. This inhumane act of pure evil places Lord Jeffrey Amherst atop the list of the most cowardly men in history.

It is our fervent hope that right-minded individuals across the country will rise up to erase the name “Amherst” from the three cities and two universities that bear his name as a badge of honor. We will be raising funds to create awareness and lobby local governments in these regions to make these long overdue changes.