VCC Magazine Summer 2018

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S ummer 2018 4 Enlightening Liberty By Sarah Alderson Here we are in the middle of the summer season…when the days are longer, the light seems brighter and the sun feels warmer. It’s the time of year we celebrate the quintessential American holiday known as “Independence Day” by lighting up the sky with fireworks. We often simply refer to the celebration as “The Fourth of July,” since the date commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress 242 years ago in Philadelphia. It’s also a good time to be reminded of our country’s founding principles. The Declaration’s most well-known statement is: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Many Americans can recite this. In fact, it has been called “one of the best-known sentences in the English language.” However, it’s surprising how few really know where the words came from or what their context is. Few have ever read the entire document. Even fewer seem to understand it. That’s one of the reasons why NPR’s show, “Morning Edition,” first began their now thirty-year-old Independence Day tradition. Each Fourth of July, familiar NPR voices read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety. What better way to remind Americans what our country stands for? In the process of declaring the United States an independent country in 1776, the Founding Fathers stated that liberty is an “unalienable right” – for everyone. Liberty is defined in several similar ways including: 1. The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views. 2. The absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government. 3. The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. It’s a relatively simple and positive concept. It may not always have been fully upheld, but it is certainly worth continuing to strive for. Here in Richmond, we know quite well that before the Declaration of Independence was written, Patrick Henry famously said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” in a speech he gave to the Second Virginia Convention at St. John’s Church on March 23, 1775. His speech is credited with having swayed the convention to pass a resolution deliveringVirginia troops for the RevolutionaryWar – to fight for that liberty. In 1787, the United States Constitution was written in the same place where the Declaration of Independence was signed, during what is now known as the Constitutional Convention. The Constitution was also signed in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. And once again, the word “liberty” was featured in the preamble or opening statement –which is now another well-known quote. “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Even the Pledge of Allegiance to our country’s flag reiterates the concept of liberty for everyone. The Pledge, as it exists in its current form, was composed in August 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and Christian Socialist. The words “under God” were added in 1954. Most Americas have recited it many times in their lives. Congressional sessions open with the reciting of the Pledge, as do many government meetings at local levels, as well as meetings held by many private organizations. And at least 46 states still require a regularly-scheduled recitation of the pledge in public schools. It’s short and sweet, and it gets the point across. “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” When the poet, Francis Scott Key, became inspired by the sight of our illuminated flag to write what became the national anthem, he quickly wrote the initial verse on the back of a letter. He later added three more stanzas to the Star-Spangled Banner, but only that first one is commonly sung today. The original version doesn’t mention the actual word “liberty,” but Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. added a fifth stanza to the song in 1861 that did. Holmes was indignant over the beginning of the Civil War, and this extra verse appears in various songbooks of the era. “When our land is illumined with Liberty’s smile, If a foe from within strike a blow at her glory, Down, down with the traitor that dares to defile the flag of her stars and the page of her story!” Of course, one of the most recognizable American icons throughout the world is the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. The statue was conceived at the same time that our country was experiencing an upswing in immigration. And on June 17th, 1885, the world’s largest immigrant arrived on America’s shore. Lady Liberty was a gift from France to the United States to commemorate the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and to celebrate the friendship between the two countries established during the RevolutionaryWar. The grand robed figure represents the Roman goddess and embodiment of liberty, Libertas. Her left hand contains a tablet featuring the date America declared independence from Britain, and her right hand holds a torch with a golden flame that is meant to be guiding others toward the path to freedom. There are even words engraved on the monument to that effect. “From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome….” In fact, the full sonnet, “The New Colossus,” was written by the American poet Emma Lazarus in 1883 to raise money for the construction of a pedestal before the arrival of the statue. In 1903, the poem was cast onto a bronze plaque and mounted inside the pedestal’s lower level. It includes these more well-known words. “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!” In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lady Liberty welcomed millions of immigrants and refugees seeking shelter and opportunity in America. Many were escaping persecution, famine and war in their homelands. And this one statue came to represent the freedom, democracy and justice that people around the world were searching for. It also represents what other societies have sought to emulate. In fact, her original name was, “Liberty Enlightening the World.” Today, with her torch held high over Liberty Island, the Statue of Liberty still stands as one of our most enduring American symbols. A symbol of hope. To many it may seem that the beacon has dimmed, but the light is still there. And right now our country – and the world– could use a little more enlightenment…a little more hope…a little more inspiration…and perhaps a lot more true liberty. Sarah Alderson is an award-winning freelance writer who also works in the General Assembly broadcast control rooms during sessions and the Capitol Studio throughout the year. She can be reached at aldersonproductions@gmail.com V