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LIBERTY: PAID FOR
BY THE POOR SINCE 1776
Literally and figuratively it turns out.
I heard an interesting factoid this morning while having my coffee. I was watching the travel channel, which I do frequently. Not being of an income bracket to afford actual travel, my travel channel viewing allows me to get a sense of other countries that I can’t (yet) afford to visit in person. Sigh.
But I digress. The first part of the show was set in NYC, featuring a bunch of fancy hotels (massage, boutique cocktails, bla bla bla). Then they turned to the Statue of Liberty - the most famous and recognized symbol of liberty in the history of the world.
And here’s the fact that made me realize how little has changed in our promised land since the statue was conceived and built. It’s worth noting that these facts had not been mentioned to me previously in my 44 years on our little sphere.
Here’s what happened: The nation of France was responsible for the construction, shipment and assembly of the statue in America. The U.S. was to pay for the pedestal on which it would stand.
From the U.S. Parks Department on the French fundraising effort:
Someone with the Franco-American Union had an inspiration: They would hold a lottery. Since very few contributions were coming from France's moneyed elite, the idea of engaging the public's attention with a lottery was a brilliant one. The prizes were highly coveted and valuable, including two works by Bartholdi himself (the statue’s sculptor).
Additional funds were raised in a manner worthy of contemporary merchandising techniques: a signed and numbered collection of clay models of the statue were sold in France and America. By the end of 1879, about 250,000 francs (approximately $750,000 U.S.) had been raised for the statue's construction. Enough, most people thought, to complete the work.
While the statue was nearing completion in France, little was happening on the American side. The American press continued to be critical of the project, especially of its cost. They couldn't understand why the pedestal should cost as much as the statue itself. Congress rejected a bill appropriating $100,000 for the base. New York approved a grant of $50,000, but the expenditure was vetoed by the governor.
Many Americans outside of New York considered it New York's statue. "Let New York pay for it," they said, while America's newly rich, self-made millionaires were saying and contributing nothing. The American half of the Franco-American Union, led by William M. Evarts, held the usual fund-raising events, but public apathy was almost as monumental as the statue itself.
By 1884, after years of fund-raising, only $182,491 had been collected and $179,624 had been spent. It took the intervention of Joseph Pulitzer and the power of the media to make a difference.
Joseph Pulitzer (yes, that Pulitzer) was a Hungarian immigrant who fought in the Civil War, became a successful journalist and married a wealthy woman. In 1883, he bought a financial newspaper called the World; he already owned the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. When he heard that the Statue of Liberty was about to die from lack of funds, he saw his chance to take advantage of three distinct opportunities: to raise funds for the statue, to increase his newspaper's circulation and to blast the rich for their selfishness.
Pulitzer set the fund-raising goal of the World at $100,000. In its pages he taunted the rich (thereby increasing the paper's appeal among working-class people) and firmly planted the notion that the statue was a monument not just for New York City but, indeed, for all of America.
Perhaps Pulitzer's cleverest ploy was the promise to publish the name of every single contributor in the pages of the World, no matter how small the contribution. The editorial that opened the fund-raising campaign set its tone. He wrote: "The World is the people's paper and it now appeals to the people to come forward and raise the money [for the statue's pedestal]." The statue, he said, was paid for by "the masses of the French people. Let us respond in like manner. Let us not wait for the millionaires to give this money. It is not a gift from the millionaires of France to the millionaires of America, but a gift of the whole people of France to the whole people of America." The circulation of the World increased by almost 50,000 copies.
African American newspapers joined in the effort, encouraging their readers to contribute to a monument that would, in part, commemorate the end of slavery. So the money poured in, as single-dollar donations from grandmothers and pennies from the piggybanks of schoolchildren.
On June 15, 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived at Bedloe's Island inside 214 wooden packing crates. On August 11, 1885, the front page of the World proclaimed, "ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!" The goal had been reached, and slightly exceeded, thanks to more than 120,000 individual contributions.
That’s right. More than 120,000 donations to raise $100,000. That makes the average contribution less than one dollar. Apparently the lumber barons and railroad magnates just couldn’t spare it.
When I heard this tidbit this morning, I couldn’t help but think that not much has changed in America since it began. The poor do the majority of fighting and dying for liberty, from the Revolutionary War to today’s Iraq. The wealthy elite dye their fingers purple and have their photos taken in self-tribute for the liberty bought with other people’s lives.
When I moved to NYC in 1992, all I could think of was getting to see the actual Statue of Liberty in person. As a kid, I thought all the greatness of America was expressed in that single statue. I had pictures of the statue and NY harbor in my ViewMaster, and clicked like a mad thing to see Lady Liberty from every angle. I couldn’t look at it without imagining what it must have felt like for the people who left poverty and tyranny and risked their lives and livelihoods to get here, and were greeted after that long voyage by that remarkable presence. The first time I laid eyes on it in person, I cried unashamedly, and god bless them, my NY friends just looked at me and smiled. They didn’t laugh.
I know that I’ve rambled some in this story. But hearing that there was a time when the future of Lady Liberty was in doubt just made me go a little bit mad I think.
And I can’t help but feel that the future of liberty is again in doubt. Will she survive the wealthy bandits that lead our country now? Apparently, the protection of liberty will always be up to us, the people.
Good night and Good Luck, America.
Nice thread, Vic. Love the photos!
I, too, am in awe of her. I wonder what she must be thinking of us now!
I had the scary, and I'm sure unoriginal, thought this morning that maybe the reason Pelosi won't impeach is that the dems WANT the next President to retain the powers that Bush has robbed from the constitution.
I've heard a lot about the possibility of that happening if we don't impeach, and I think that's exactly why we should. I guess I just always thought it would just happen by osmosis or something.
It kind of jolted me to think that the dems might actually WANT that.
What have we become? What does liberty even mean anymore?
Victoria my darling:
I wonder if its more the classic American ambivalence towards public art that led to the slow response. For god's sake, didn't they have "Friends of the Status of Liberty"?
Apologies for the snark. I think we often undervalue our cultural aspirations. In the days that the Statue of Liberty was erected, it was often the case that we had to borrow or inherit the cultural and artistic tastes of other countries, primarily Europe, until we came up with our own expression. And ironically, it was American Jazz-the music of descendants of slaves - that became our world cultural trademark.
Times have changed. And New York, first home to the "huddled masses" of Statue of Liberty has a Times Square re-built into a Vegas-like replica of Tokyo. We are led by a news media that cares more to entertain than inform, and keep us listless.
And those days of FDR's "Everyday" men and women are gone. We are invisible. And dispensable.
It is era of the New American Banana Republic.
Trivia: The copper for the Statue of Liberty came from Norway.
http://www.norway.org/News/archive/1999/199904copper.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty
http://park.org/Guests/Stavanger/statue.htm
If she were a real person, the great green Lady would have been crying since the SCOTUS debacle/decision of December 2000.
Since Georgie and Dickie decided to illegally invade Iraq, the mental picture I see in my head is the Statue of Liberty crying tears of blood, and her mouth open and emitting a scream of agony over the whole issue of torture and illegal detentions at Gitmo and elsewhere.
I can't help but envision that tragic picture. The Bu$hCo administration has taken on dictatorial powers never granted presidents in the Constitution. Everything that has transpired in all these years just gives them more power, thanks to Congress Critters who enable them, much against the will of the majority of Americans they're supposed to represent, and a Lamestream Media that whores for the administration.
Worse, no matter how hard I search for clues that things will at least revert back to pre-2000 standards when the situation seemed at least correctable, search for a way to end these nightmare years so we can wake up, I can't find it.
I think our situation will get much worse before it ever gets better, and, given my age, the transition back to having a government that is sane and rational, with leaders who use their common sense, will probably not occur in my lifetime.
And I SO want to be wrong in my thinking! I will gladly eat humble pie for the rest of my life if our Congress Critters have a sudden moment of enlightenmnet and get us back on the course to being an upstanding member of the world community again.
Well, let's try this again!
Great piece, Vic. I always thought Lady Liberty looked a little sad and now I know why. All that hard work and such ignorance all around. I can't help but think of Rush and his friends making fun of the French. They just have NO clue!
And speaking of France, DiAnne is weighing in tomorrow from Paris, where she is, no doubt, eating very good bread and drinking amazing cafe!
Excellent thread, Victoria. I remember taking a ferry trip and passing by the Statue of Liberty back in 1972. At that time I must have been too shy to ask questions. This surprises me. Doesn't sound at all like me. However, at the time I was spellbound by her size. I wondered at her sculpting. And I wondered how she got to where she stands.
I had no idea of the French link, though that is less surprising than it could have been. I love this story and I love that I've wondered about her for all these years without investigating her story. This truth of her origins and the contributions made by the poor, tell of a country with huge strengths, whose soul and heart beats among the average citizens.
Thanks
Vic,
I first visited the Statue of Liberty when I was 4 years old and we were in NYC waiting for the freighter on which we would be traveling to Liberia to be loaded and ready to go. I've seen it several times since then and I'm always amazed at what deep emotions it brings up.
But I think part of what goes along with it is the depth of meaning behind Emma Lazarus's poem on the base.
Those last five lines have represented hope to so much of the world for so long. We must fight to keep them true.
NonnyO, I agree with you wholeheartedly, but we are over-governed - in all western countries. This over-governing with huge committees working on 1 little decision over days, weeks and months, without reaching a conclusion and being paid megabucks to do it, is what I'm talking about.
But, I don't know how to do it. I do believe that there are far more Republicans against the Iraq war than is reflected by the votes. I believe that Bush has dug through the mud of lives to find out how to keep each member of his party true to him. They know that he's a dictator. They know that the Iraq war is the biggest mistake ever made by an American president (including LBJ). But they wilt under whatever it is that he knows, or says he knows and will leak to his press. Even if it's untrue - that's real power. And until the sane Republicans call his bluff and vote against him, we're stuck with what is until the new president tries to withdraw from the quagmire.
America has overthrown democracies and installed dictators through the years. Remember Chile? On a documentary I heard - 54 governments since WW2, many of them democracies, while installing a military dictator in many instances. And this is what is keeping Iraq in the mess it is in. Until there is a *real* election and Maliki is kicked out of the equation, democracy or self-government cannot happen. Iraqis are not so stupid that they believe their government is of, by and for Iraqis. They know that it is of, by and for America.
I love the thread and the story Vic.
I too remember the first time I saw the French lady. I don't remember if I cried, but I remember looking for her from my hotel window.
I also think for some reason of the Triangle Fire in NYC and all the immigrants working there whose lives were ended due to the greed of their employers.
Sometimes it seems like the land of hope has withered and died. And even before I knew about the torture and illegal spying in 04, I sensed something was terribly wrong and that our country was waging a war against the middle class. I think that's why "Hope is on the way" was as meaningful to me as the Statute of Liberty probably meant to all those immigrants.
Somehow it seems like the hope for liberty and a better life has faded and it's up to us to bring it back. I may not agree with every post or every opinion I see out in the 'left' blogs, but I know that all of us are fighting for a way to bring hope, freedom and liberty back from the brink of darkness.
woz said on September 30, 2007 10:15 PM
NonnyO, I agree with you wholeheartedly, but we are over-governed - in all western countries. This over-governing with huge committees working on 1 little decision over days, weeks and months, without reaching a conclusion and being paid megabucks to do it, is what I'm talking about.
But, I don't know how to do it. I do believe that there are far more Republicans against the Iraq war than is reflected by the votes.
---
woz, the most common bumper sticker in my bleeding red part of California, for the 2008 presidential race, is for the Ron Paul campaign - the one Republican who opposes the war.
So even the hardcore Republicans are starting to get fed up. Though NOT everyone, judging from the numerous W '04 ovals still around here.
Vic, thanks for sharing this thread.
I always wanted to visit climb the Statue of Liberty when I was a child. The chance came in 1991, when I turned 15 and hit NYC for the first time. It was a very majestic sight to behold, and I indeed did believe that it symbolized what America stood for.
I went back in 1993, on another NYC visit, and in 1998, a farewell visit as I was wrapping up 4 years of my college life in NYC.
Your thread makes me rethink how the statue was funded and built - and how the society functions. Liberty for the masses = disaster for the elite, it seems. This is the same reasoning that is being used to deny healthcare to millions of Americans, by the Republicans, whose insurance companies and their lobbyists won't have much to profit from Canadian-style healthcare plans.
Speaking of my first Statue of Liberty visit, when I returned to Battery Park, I walked to the WTC complex and climbed the South Tower, for an unparalleled view from the highest point in the city. I still remember that view. It insults me to think that the view has been forever taken away from me, by the W regime's negligence in going after the terrorists.
Letting 9/11 happen for political gain, and selling our jobs to China to weaken the labor movement... W is a true traitor.
Carol said on September 30, 2007 6:05 PM
I had the scary, and I'm sure unoriginal, thought this morning that maybe the reason Pelosi won't impeach is that the dems WANT the next President to retain the powers that Bush has robbed from the constitution.
I have said the same thing in a few of the past posts, they will have all the power, and they will not even have to lift a finger to fight for them, because the republicans will have done all the fighting, and they will reap the rewards, while the American citizens lose their LIBERTY.
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
-H.L. Mencken, 1920
http://www.fermiproject.com/
For those of you who are just joining the new DCP 2.0, things have been moved around slightly.
The Open Thread blog is where we'll put the random news items and miscellaneous observations. And we're going to try to keep the DCP blog focused on discussion relating to the blog post itself.
If you have any trouble registering or whatever, I'm in the IRC as usual.
dwahzon said on October 1, 2007 11:14 AM
Ah, so those of us with ADD should just stick to the open thread, eh?
BTW, I Like the new diggs...
Monkey:
About that fermi project:
Are they for real or do you think they're a mask for something more sinister?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Charges dismissed against Rev. Yearwood!
Carol,
Ofcourse the elite dems want that power for themselves. Especially the highjacking votes part.
That is why the democrats have not bothered to actually fix it at all, cause then we would complain when they highjack our votes to install their own permanent majority.
It never was about freeing slaves, it is about whom is to be the Master.
Liberty is what slave masters get. Not the slaves.
Wow! I just saw an interview of Mike Gravel on the News Hour. At last! Someone with a brain! And a heart! And courage! How come I haven't been hearing about him? He would certainly bring the constitution and liberty home to Americans, with the military. Taxes. Education. Health Care. Military presence in America not in every corner of the world. And the people as the 4th part of the checks and balances. He looks oldish, but hey - he also looks energetic, healthy and sounds like a man who isn't balancing words - he is a man of great integrity I'd say.
October 2, 2007 4:00 AM
woz said
Fox, CNN, and so on, don't want him, and they are the voice of America today, that is why you don't hear about him, you won't see him unless you watch the debates.
Iraq Diary Video: