WEBVTT - Why Does The Statue of Liberty Have Chains on Her Feet?

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<v Speaker 1>Right now, it's time for the Way Black History Fact.

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<v Speaker 1>In today's Way Black History Fact, we're going to talk

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<v Speaker 1>about why the Statue of Liberty has chained feet. National

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<v Speaker 1>Park Service INPs dot gov is where this comes from.

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<v Speaker 1>In eighteen eighty six, the Statute of Liberty was a

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<v Speaker 1>symbol of democratic government and Enlightenment ideals, as well as

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<v Speaker 1>the celebration of the Union's victory in the American Civil

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<v Speaker 1>War and the abolition of slavery. Eduard de Laboullie, the

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<v Speaker 1>French political thinker, US constitution expert and abolitionist who first

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<v Speaker 1>proposed the idea of a Great Monument as a gift

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<v Speaker 1>from France to the United States, was a firm supporter

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<v Speaker 1>of President Abraham Lincoln and his fight for abolition. La

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<v Speaker 1>Boullie saw abolition not only as a way to eliminate immorality,

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<v Speaker 1>but also as a way to protest repressive tendencies in France.

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<v Speaker 1>As an abolitionist, Laboulie was an honorary member of the

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<v Speaker 1>Philadelphia branch founded in eighteen sixty two of the Union

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<v Speaker 1>League Club. The Union League Club was a group of

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<v Speaker 1>people who were dedicated to the new Republican Party. The

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<v Speaker 1>un Union's cause in the Civil War and the abolition

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<v Speaker 1>of slavery. Additionally, Labouie was a co founder and president

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<v Speaker 1>of the French Anti Slavery Society. This society was founded

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<v Speaker 1>in eighteen sixty five. In essence, it called upon all

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<v Speaker 1>nations to abolish slavery. Additionally, the members also raised money

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<v Speaker 1>that was then given to newly freed slaves in the

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<v Speaker 1>United States. The abolition of slavery and the Union's victory

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<v Speaker 1>in the Civil War in eighteen sixty five, Laboullie's wishes

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<v Speaker 1>of freedom and democracy were turning into a reality in

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<v Speaker 1>the United States. In order to honour these achievements, Laboullier

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<v Speaker 1>proposed that a gift be built for the United States

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<v Speaker 1>on behalf of France. Laboulie hoped that by calling attention

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<v Speaker 1>to the recent achievements of the United States, the French

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<v Speaker 1>people would be inspired to call for their own democracy

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<v Speaker 1>in the face of a repressive monarchy. When Laboulie's Statue

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<v Speaker 1>of Liberty Enlightening the World was completed, it not only

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<v Speaker 1>represented democracy, but also symbolized American independence and the ends

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<v Speaker 1>of all types of servitude and oppression. A broken shackle

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<v Speaker 1>and shame lie at the statute right foot. The chain

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<v Speaker 1>disappears beneath the draperies, only to reappear in front of

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<v Speaker 1>her left foot. It's in link broken. However, although the

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<v Speaker 1>broken shackle is a powerful image, the meaning behind it

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<v Speaker 1>was not yet a reality for African Americans in eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>eighty six. After the statue's dedication in eighteen eighty six,

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<v Speaker 1>the Black press began to debunk romantic notions of the

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<v Speaker 1>Statue of Liberty and American history. Racism and discrimination toward

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<v Speaker 1>African Americans did not end after the Civil War or

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<v Speaker 1>with the dedication of the statue. It continued on for

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<v Speaker 1>more than a century, and I'd argue it still continues.

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<v Speaker 1>As a result, the statue was not a symbol of

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<v Speaker 1>democratic government or Enlightenment ideals for African Americans, but rather

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<v Speaker 1>a source of pain. Instead of representing freedom and justice

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<v Speaker 1>for all, the statue emphasized the bitter ironies of America's

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<v Speaker 1>professed identity as a just in free society for all people,

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<v Speaker 1>regardless of race. From the time the statue's dedication, attitudes

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<v Speaker 1>towards the statue in the African American community were ambivalent

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<v Speaker 1>and uncertain. Now, I want to make sure that I

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<v Speaker 1>read where this came from again, Okay, the National Park

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<v Speaker 1>Service NPS dot gov. Okay, so this is not we

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<v Speaker 1>said this a lot Q. This is not ramses and

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<v Speaker 1>q's thoughts. This is not our words, this isn't chat GPT,

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<v Speaker 1>this is in Wikipedia. This is the United States government.

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<v Speaker 1>And I didn't see too many words in here that

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<v Speaker 1>needed to be struck according to Trump's recent executive orders,

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<v Speaker 1>So this truth may continue to stand. Indeed, the Statue

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<v Speaker 1>of Liberty does honor the fact that slavery was ended

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<v Speaker 1>in the United States, and so it does at least

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<v Speaker 1>it was intended to represent the plight of black folks

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<v Speaker 1>as well. And it's important, I think now more than

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<v Speaker 1>ever to remind people that we have been a part

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<v Speaker 1>of this country, and our struggle built this country. And

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<v Speaker 1>if anything tells the story, it's the Statue of Liberty.

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<v Speaker 1>So there you have it.