Do You Know - Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was commissioned in 1865 by French abolitionist, Edouard de Labouyle. A member of the Philadelphia branch of the Union League, and co-founder of the French Anti-Slavery Society, Laboyle was a firm believer in the immorality of slavery and wanted the statue to represent the new ideals of freedom and democracy.
Contrary to what many have been taught for decades, the Statue of Liberty was not originally created as a beacon of light for immigrants arriving in the United States of America. The statue’s sculptor, Fredric Bartholdi, was inspired by Labouyle’s ideals of freedom and democracy, so he created a model in which the statue was carrying broken shackles in her left hand to symbolize the end of slavery. American financiers pressured the artist to redesign the statue. As a compromise, Bartholdi replaced the chains in Lady Liberty’s hand with a book. The chains at her feet remained, although hidden.
How would a symbol celebrating the end of slavery have impacted society in 1885? What effects from such a statement might have rippled through time?
Why is the full story of the monument, not common knowledge?
How can we incorporate this truth into our curriculums without causing harm?
Would this information make for productive classroom discussions?
How does this knowledge impact those of us for whom Ellis Island is an integral part of our family’s history?
Does this information take away from the experiences of immigrants?
Is there room for more than one type of experience regarding national monuments?
These questions do not have simplistic answers and require us to examine the past using critical thinking skills. Oftentimes, historical material is harder to accept because it has been hidden for so long, leaving us to grapple with not only the new information but the reasoning behind the secrecy in the first place. We must discuss these complicated matters of history, uncover new perspectives, and then discuss them again. It is essential to remain open to the engagement of discourse about the parts of our history that we find jarring—the reward for such engagement is a culturally competent and culturally aware society.
