Statue Of Liberty's Chains to Slavery's End...

5fish

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The Statue of Liberty had a symbolic nod to the abolition of Slavery...

Chains-2.jpg



An article and s snippet... https://www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/abolition.htm

In 1886, The Statue of Liberty was a symbol of democratic government and Enlightenment ideals as well as a celebration of the Union's victory in the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery. Edouard de Laboulaye, the French political thinker, U.S. Constitution expert, and abolitionist, who first proposed the idea of a great monument as a gift from France to the United States was a firm supporter of President Abraham Lincoln and his fight for abolition. Laboulaye saw abolition not only as a way to eliminate immorality but also as a way to protest repressive tendencies in France.

Here is this...

When Laboulaye's Statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World" was completed, it not only represented democracy but also symbolized American independence and the end of all types of servitude and oppression. A broken shackle and chain lie at the Statue's right foot. The chain disappears beneath the draperies, only to reappear in front of her left foot, its end link broken. However, although the broken shackle is a powerful image, the meaning behind it was not yet a reality for African Americans in 1886.

Black Americans...

After the Statue's dedication in 1886, the Black Press began to debunk romantic notions of the Statue of Liberty and American History. Racism and discrimination towards African Americans did not end after the Civil War or with the dedication of the Statue - it continued on for more than a century.

As W.E.B. Du Bois wrote in his autobiography, The Autobiography of W.E.B. Du Bois: A Soliloquy on Viewing My Life From the Last Decade of Its First Century, he was unable to imagine the same sense of hope he assumed some immigrant arrivals had felt when he sailed past the Statue on a return trip from Europe. This hope did not pertain to his race. The fight for equality, liberty, and justice for all at this point in time had not been achieved, but rather disregarded after the Statue's completion and dedication. Therefore, African Americans rarely used the Statue as a relevant symbol for their struggle - they were reluctant to embrace the symbol of a nation which would not fully include them as citizens. The Statue of Liberty did not help them to gain equality and justice in the truest sense - it was only the beginning.




Here is a link to another article with more details too... https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...nded-to-celebrate-the-end-of-american-slavery
 
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5fish

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Here is a Lincoln Staute from Cincinnati( @O' Be Joyful ) that almost cause an international crisis for Taft...


Taft commissioned American sculptor George Grey Barnard to sculpt an 11-foot-tall statue of Abraham Lincoln as a gift to the city of Cincinnati in 1917. But rather than basing his work on airbrushed photos and idealized paintings, Barnard sought out life masks of Lincoln’s face from before his presidency. This Lincoln has deep wrinkles penetrating his face, thick veins on his hands, and is missing the signature beard he grew while campaigning for president in 1860.

Critical reaction was almost immediately divided, receiving condemnation even from Lincoln’s own son Robert Todd: “When the statue was exhibited in the early winter, I was deeply grieved by the result of the commission which Taft had given Barnard. The result is a monstrous figure, grotesque as a likeness of President Lincoln, and defamatory as an effigy.”

The harsh response proved problematic when Taft prepared to donate a copy of the statue to the United Kingdom to stand across from Westminster Abbey. Though initially enthusiastic about the gift, parliament instead chose to erect the “effigy” in a far less prominent spot in Manchester.



The Charles P. Taft family commissioned artist George Grey Barnard to complete a statue in commemoration of the centenary of Lincoln's birth. The sculpture was unveiled at Lytle Park on March 31, 1917. Former U.S. President William Howard Taft, the younger brother of Charles, delivered the dedication speech.[2]

Two more castings of Barnard's statue exist, one in Louisville, Kentucky, and one in Manchester, England.
 

O' Be Joyful

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At the foot of the Lincoln statue, at a level where all of us may join her, sits a second bronze figure, depicting Lady Liberty with her quill outstretched.

The Lincoln Monument came to Avondale with good abolitionist credentials. A wealthy Civil War veteran named Charles Clinton who retired to Cincinnati came across the pair of bronzes in Philadelphia in 1900. He purchased them and had them shipped to his adopted city. He offered to donate them for installation if someone would provide a suitable location and foundation. There were no immediate takers; the one-time mayor of the formerly independent village of Avondale suggested the annexed neighborhood as a site. Difficult negotiations with the donor finally led to the grounds of the Avondale School. An “elaborate program” was arranged for Lincoln’s Birthday, February 12, 1902, at the Avondale Presbyterian Church, including an invocation by a Rabbi and a speech by Cincinnati Mayor Julius Fleishmann, himself an Avondale resident. Funding (including donations from Avondale school children) was secured.

 
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