By Don Valentine
We were all taught in school that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the U.S. to celebrate American independence and the friendship between the two countries. However, what is rarely taught is that the primary reason France presented the gift was in appreciation of American emancipation. In 1886, the Statue of Liberty was a symbol of democratic government and a celebration of the Union’s victory in the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery.
The Statue of Liberty was conceived by the French author and anti-slavery activist Édouard de Laboulaye, affectionately known as the “Father of the Statue of Liberty.” He was a leading expert on the U.S. Constitution, an abolitionist, and a supporter of President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. The National Park Service wrote, “In 1865 de Laboulaye proposed creating a monument for the United States. The recent Union victory in the Civil War, which reaffirmed the United States’ ideals of freedom and democracy, served as a platform for de Laboulaye to argue that honoring the United States would strengthen the cause for democracy in France. As the president of the French Anti-Slavery Society, de Laboulaye believed that the passage of the 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery in the U.S., 1865) was a milestone and proved that justice and liberty for all were possible. Ten years later, with the help of his friend and sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, de Laboulaye turned his proposal into a reality.”
The sculptor included a broken shackle of a chain at the base of the Statue’s feet (see the photo above). Statue of Liberty.org notes, “In designing the Statue, Bartholdi incorporated broken chains and shackles to represent newly achieved freedom. Originally, the sculptor planned to place the chains in the Statue’s left hand, which instead became the position of her tablet.”
The reason the U.S. chose to downplay the celebration of the end of slavery is obvious to anyone who has lived a few decades in America, given the ongoing racial tensions. It would be a loud, embarrassing admission of the incongruity of owning humans while acknowledging everyone’s inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Mainstream America continues to manipulate Black history to this day. The President recently issued an executive order to not teach Air Force cadets about the history of the Tuskegee Airmen. Thankfully, our Black press ensures that our history is preserved.
“Ebony Moments” is an Iconic history picture with a short caption. “E-M” should run separately from “LBH.”
