Lady Liberty

    America. It has a history rich with strife, turmoil, struggles, & victories. It has been known to align with ideals of Freedom, Hope, and Liberty. Back then vs today, do those values and ideas still ring true?

   The Liberty Bell was actually gifted to America First, even before the Statue of Liberty was a thought. The Bell arrived in Philadelphia in 1752. The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered it from England, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of William Penn's Charter, which granted Religious and Political Freedoms. 

   It was made in London, but recast in Philly. On it's first test in Philadelphia, the Bell cracked. It was recast twice by local craftsmen, John Pass and John Stow. They added their names and the biblical inscription to the Bell; "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof".

   It rang for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It rang for protests to the Stamp and Tea Act. In the 1830's Abolitionists used it as a rallying cry against slavery, inspired by the Liberty Bell's inscription. Proclaim Liberty throughout all of the Land, unto all the inhabitants thereof. On February 22,1846, the Liberty Bell rang it's last toll. It rang for George Washington's Birthday Celebration, cracked, and would never ring again.

   Even though the Liberty Bell is no longer a functional Bell, it remains a symbol of Liberty, Freedom, Unity, and Endurance. It's been used by abolitionists, women's suffragists, and Civil Rights activists. The Liberty Bell has been a Rallying cry for imperfections in the pursuit of Liberty, representing that even a bell, silent and flawed, can Inspire Generations.

    Let us now look at the time, 1865. A French political thinker, Édouard de Laboulaye, suggested a monument for the upcoming centennial of American Independence. It was to celebrate the Friendship between France and America, following the U.S. victory of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. 

   This monument, the Statue of Liberty, was designed by a Sculptor, Auguste Bartholdi. He began the design in 1870. It's Official Name being, Liberty Enlightening the World.

   It was constructed first in France, between 1875 and 1880. It was then disassembled, and shipped in pieces to America. It was reassembled on it's pedestal, on Bedloe's Island (later renamed Liberty Island). On October 28th, 1886, it was officially dedicated in New York Harbor, by President Grover Cleveland.

    Even in it's design, the Statue of Liberty holds great meaning. She is designed after the Roman Goddess, Libertas, a Lady of Freedom and Liberty. The Torch represents Enlightenment, a Guiding Light held aloft to all Peoples. The Crown, with it's seven spikes, symbolizes the Seven Seas and Seven Continents. The tablet held in her arms, is inscribed with July 4, 1776, marking America's Independence. It is made with Copper, over a framework of Iron. Overtime it oxidized, turning the Statue green, but even tarnished it remains a strong symbol even today. 

   It earned it's nickname, Lady Liberty, gradually overtime. The Statue welcomed millions of Immigrants and Travelers, arriving in New York Harbor. It's image as a welcoming figure became cemented in 1903, by Emma Lazarus 's Poem, "The New Collosus". A bronze plaque was added, with the words of the poem.  This gave the Statue another nickname, the Mother of Exiles.

    The Plaque reads, "Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, / I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

    Over 12 Million People passed through the Gates of Ellis Island. People from all over the World came seeking a better Life. They came to escape poverty, war, famine, and Religious prosecution. They were driven by the promise of Freedom, Opportunity, and Land in the New World. 

   Let's fast-forward to Today. Today's population reflects this history. About 2.9-3% of all of America's Peoples are Native American. So, where did the rest of the population come from? Today, the vast majority of the United States Population comes from Immigrants. From People who Traveled Oversees or across Continents to be here. We are a People of Diversity. Even Today, America is still considered a, Melting Pot, Salad Bowl, Mosaic, or any other term you may use for a mixed bag.

    We are not of this Land. Not most of us. So who are we to say that other People don't deserve to be here? 

   We live in a Time of domestic terrorism, of ICE Agents and Protests and shootings. An Immigrant who finds themselves faced with an ICE Agent can face different outcomes. They could be temporarily detained, and released after questioning. In other circumstances, ICE will send them to a larger detention center, of which there are several throughout the U.S.

    This is not American. This is not the America that People have fought and died for. Where is the Justice in this? I honestly don't see how this has anything to do with Freedom. This to me feels more like Hilter and the Holocaust. They teach us about this in schools so that it can never happen again.

   Why do we shun and hate out fellow People? Because that's what they are is People. Humans. We are all the same species. So to say this person is this or this person is that is ridiculous.

  Where is Liberty? The words of a certain song are words that perhaps people today should consider. America (My Country Tis of Thee), written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831. One Line in particular, "From every Mountainside, Let Freedom Ring". Martian Luther King Jr. used this at the March on Washington, in 1963, connecting it to the promise of American Liberty for all People, regardless of race or color. 

   The Country is called the "United" States of America. Everyone, no matter what their race or color, or where they come from, deserves Liberty and Justice. I will leave you now, to contemplate the words of the song. Things in America need to change, because this is not an America built upon the ideals of which this Country is meant to represent.

"My country, 'tis of Thee,

Sweet Land of Liberty

Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims' pride,

From every mountain side

Let Freedom ring.

My native country, thee,

Land of the noble free,

Thy name I love;

I love thy rocks and rills,

Thy woods and templed hills;

My heart with rapture thrills,

Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,

And ring from all the trees

Sweet freedom's song;

Let mortal tongues awake;

Let all that breathe partake;

Let rocks their silence break,

The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God to Thee,

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,

With freedom's holy light,

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God our King."