Johnson Tells History of Statue of Liberty

Jeremiah Johnson ’25 kicked off the Black History Month speaker series with a retrospective look at the Statue of Liberty.
Johnson guided Owls through the history of the symbolism of the statue. French poet, author, and anti-slavery activist Édouard de Lefèbvre originated the idea for the statue, and sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi designed it.

Liberty Enlightening the World was then built and shipped from France to New York Harbor.

“The monument stood as a proud symbol of independence and the closeness of France and the U.S.,” Johnson said. “Due to the opening of Ellis Island as an immigration station in 1892, it soon became a welcoming sign to immigrants, until the station was closed in 1924.”

The statue was originally designed with the torch in Lady Liberty’s right hand and chains in her left hand, rather than a tablet, but that plan was changed.

“They believed that openly celebrating emancipation would reopen the wounds that they had just closed after the Civil War and the struggles of Reconstruction,” Johnson said. “So, Bartholdi replaced the chains with the tablet. But still wanting to give honor to emancipation, he moved the broken shackles to her feet.”

Dr. Joy DeGruy, author and CEO of the nonprofit Be the Healing, visited the Statue of Liberty in the early 2010s and noticed this history was lacking from the tour given to visitors.

“During her visit, she realized that the original purpose wasn’t acknowledged by the tour guides, and the original model with the shackles in hand was put in the basement section of the museum. Just like the shackles on the feet, it was out of sight, and out of mind.” 

The original model has since been included in the tour, along with the historical details.

Johnson ended his speech with Emma Lazarus’s poem The New Colossus, which was written in 1883 to help raise money for the pedestal. A plaque bearing the poem was added to the pedestal in 1903.
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