Statues & Monuments

A simmering debate exploded after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017. The left is demanding the removal of all Civil War related statues and monuments as images if racism. The cries have even begun to reach back to the founding fathers, the Jefferson Memorial for example, as Jefferson was a slave owner and fathered children with one of his slaves. The right is vehemently opposed to the destruction of history and culture. Prior to this, attacks on religious monuments had been the focus, with many religious monuments of war heroes being vandalized and or forced down over separation of church and state. Again, the right is vehemently opposed to this attack on American culture.

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What is the quote on the statue of liberty?

8/15/19

from The Gray Area:

8/15/19:

The website Howtallisthestatueoflberty.org explains teh Statue of Libertyand teh Emma Lazarus poem.

There are several phrases associated with the Statue of Liberty, but the most recognizable is “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This quote comes from Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, New Colossus, which she wrote for a fundraiser auction to raise money for the pedestal upon which the Statue of Liberty now sits. The poem did not receive much recognition and was quite forgotten after the auction. In the early 1900s and after Lazarus’ death, one of her friends began a campaign to memorialize Lazarus and her New Colossus sonnet. The effort was a success, and a plaque with the poem’s text was mounted inside the pedestal of the statue.

Since Lazarus’ poem was mounted on a plaque, it is not actually inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. The only Statue of Liberty inscription can be found on the tablet in her left hand, which says JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776), the day the United States adopted the Declaration of Independence.