The Statue of Liberty is undoubtedly a symbol of freedom in all senses. Yet, certain freedom is arguably more vivid than others. According to some historians, a political one seems to stand out, overshadowing universal symbolism. Politics both domestic and foreign were the major issue at the time of the statue’s construction, and freedom was and still is an important topic in U.S. history. Due to the great value of this monument to American history, it is paramount to review the aspects of its value pertaining to politics due to the major impact of the statue in this area and demonstrate its prevailing significance in this field as compared to other areas.
The historical pretext strongly indicates a dominant political motive for the construction of the statue. The Statue of Liberty represents a Roman goddess of liberty, dressed in robes and holding a torch in a protracted hand. She wears a crown with seven rays that symbolize the seven continents. The statue was the idea of a French lawyer and abolitionist Edouard de Laboulaye. He was famous for being an advocate for the rights of slaves and the oppressed black population. The monument was going to become a sign of victory of the Union, a liberal and progressive side in this matter because the proposition was voiced in 1865 when the Civil War ended. The end of the political conflict over slavery that was one of the main causes of the war between the North and the South was going to be marked with a statue symbolizing freedom. The official date of completion of the monument was, according to the Ellis Island Foundation Inc., originally planned to commemorate the Declaration of Independence, one of the founding documents of a political entity such as the United States of America. In addition to that, the statue was designed to honor the ties of France and the U.S. For the two countries that share common ideals and value freedom and are inspired by its revolutions, a Statue of Liberty became a demonstration of political closeness that persists. The choice of the place was also specific. The newly arriving immigrants were expected to be inspired by the greatness and of the United States and demonstrate its core values of building patriotism for the country from its mere borderlines.
Along with an overwhelming amount of historical data to vote for the prevalence of political connotations, among historians, there seems to have been no evident and fierce argument about it. However, the main symbols such as freedom, the rule of law, and leadership can indeed be found underlined in their works. According to Hunt, the Roman goddess with a torch in her hand symbolizes the end of the monarchic rule and its submission to the republican ideas, which mirrors the liberal ideas of France and assures support for them in America. In the works of Yellin, there is evidence that the bloom of the feminist movement was connected with the usage of the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of a strong woman in a political and social campaign for female rights. However, according to UNESCO’s historians, de Laboulaye envisioned the statue to be the symbol of friendship between all nations and progress. Although, they also notice that the statue reflects an American-French alliance.
Being historically infused with political meaning, the Statue of Liberty seems to have been successfully shaping the image of the U.S. from the day it was installed. It is evident from the fact that the basic freedoms and rights of a human being are still valued and protected by the constitution and the whole power of the law enforcement structures. Each citizen of the U.S. is free to exercise his or her right to free speech, religious practice, assembly, etc. However, the equality of all people has long been an issue in the country. The black race has struggled and still struggles for equal rights, fair employment, and other freedoms that should naturally be given, as the declaration of independence commemorated by the Statue insists that all people are born equal. It is not the flaw of the Statue, it is a flaw of the American people who fail to fulfill the ideas they imbued into it. The political course of the country has shifted from welcoming immigrants and treating them as builders and the foundation of the nation to unwanted elements of society, which also indicates the failure of the system and depreciation of the warm feelings towards the statue.
All in all, the Statue of liberty demonstrates its built-in affinity with politics through the very idea of its creation. All of the symbolism imbued with it serves to demonstrate the political strengths of the country, celebrate its union with France, and freedom from slavery. As such, a politics-infused monument the statue has done a marvelous job reminding the people that their country still upholds all that the statue represents, notwithstanding minor issues of inequality and unfairness. The knowledge of the true purpose of the Statue of Liberty and its depth of it seems to serve as a moral and political beacon for the present and future generations of presidents, administration officials, and citizens.
Bibliography
Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. “Statue History.” n.d. Web.
Jean Yellin F. “Caps and Chains: Hiram Powers’ Statue of ‘Liberty’.” American Quarterly, 38, no. 5 (1986):798-826. Web.
Lynn Hunt. “Hercules and the Radical Image in the French Revolution.” Representations, 2 (1983): 95-117. Web.
UNESCO. “Statue of Liberty.” n.d. Web.