Freedom Triumphant: Law, Liberty, and the U.S. Capitol Dome Statue of Freedom | BRIdge from the Past
What does the U.S. Capitol dome reveal about the relationship between laws and liberty? In this episode of BRIdge from the Past, Mary examines images of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC and the majestic statue that adorns the top. The well-known dome that we know today was erected in 1850, and shortly after, the statue, featuring a robed woman holding a laurel wreath and sheathed sword, was placed atop it in 1863. What do the individual parts that make up the Capitol dome and statue represent? How do they work together to showcase freedom?
0:00 Hi everybody. Welcome to another episode of Bridge from the Past. This series is all about using primary source images as a way to explore important topics in American history and civics. I’m your host, Mary, and today we’re taking a closer look at the US. Capitol Building in Washington, DC. What does this structure, and more specifically the statue on top
0:21 of the dome, reveal about the relationship between liberty and laws? Let’s jump in and see. Once again, we’re thinking about the relationship between laws and liberty and what we can tell about this important relationship by looking at the US. Capitol Building and specifically the statue on top of the dome.
0:44 So here is the US. Capitol as seen from the West Side at night. So before we go into the statue, just a quick note on the Capitol Building itself, before Washington DC. Was even built, when it was actually pretty much just a swamp, and plans are being made for a new capital city. Pierre Charles L’Enfant who was the man who designed the new capital city, planned for the legislature,
1:07 the Congress, the Capitol Building to sit on a hill right off the bat, you have the place where the laws are going to be made. Sitting on a pedestal, like it has an elevated position in our government. And George Washington, in writing to Thomas Jefferson in 1792, said that the capital ought to be upon a scale far superior to anything in this country.
1:30 So this is what the capital looks like today. Of course, it didn’t even exist in 1792 when George Washington was writing this. But you can still see this idea of your eye being drawn upward. You have this beautiful dome, almost looks like a wedding cake. You’ve got this great statue that we’re going to be looking at closely in just a second. So you can see it’s an important place. It’s white.
1:52 It’s literally glowing in the night. The American flag is flying right in the middle of it. So this is clearly meant to be an important place, a sacred place that’s all about making laws by the consent of the people. So let’s look at the statue on top of the dome. Whenever you see a primary source, it’s important to make some observations.
2:14 So if you’re using your organizer, you can pause here and write down some of your own thoughts. Some of the things that I noticed right off the bat are that she has a sword. It’s a she. I’m assuming it’s a woman. She’s wearing sort of this classical dress she’s holding. It looks like a book and wreath in her hand. And I’m also noticing this really cool
2:37 headdress and some questions I have right away, or how big is she? I can see that she’s on top of the capital, but I don’t really know what that means because it’s so high up. The perspective might be off. And what do all of these elements of her dress of the way that she’s standing and what she’s holding. What sort of symbols do they mean?
2:57 The official name of the sculpture is Freedom Triumphant and War and Peace. Although she’s usually just referred to as the Freedom Statue today. So kind of like the Statue of Liberty, this is a depiction of something, an abstract concept. So instead of liberty, in this case, she’s representing Freedom and freedom is triumphant in war.
3:19 You can see she’s holding a sword and it’s not out as if to say, I could use this sword if I need to. She also has a shield here. So I thought it was a book at first, but it turns out if I look closer, it’s a shield and it has stars and stripes. It’s the Shield of the United States. And she is holding in her hand a wreath of laurel.
3:41 So this is a symbol that dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, a symbol of triumph, of victory that was awarded to someone after competing in a games. So she’s triumphant in war, in peace, she’s representing the United States. The brooch here on her dress, it says US. And I can see she’s got this
4:02 almost like fur trimmed cape over her and lots of folds and pleats in her garment. Again, harkening back to antiquity. But I’m also really struck by her headdress. The headdress is something that definitely looks a little bit different than the crown, say, on the Statue of Liberty. So right here, there we go.
4:22 Can see it a little bit better. So on her headdress is an eagle. You can see the eagle sort of its mouth, its beak is open, as if it’s like making us a cry. On either side of her head you have the eagle’s talons, which are really formidable, and you can see the feathers, of course, coming down her back.
4:43 And she also has these stars. So it’s like a helmet made of stars and an actual eagle. And this was done by the sculpture as a nod to the headdress of an American Indian, but also to say that this is something. It’s not just antiquity, it’s not just Greece and Rome. It’s something very new, it’s something very American and it’s something very powerful.
5:05 These talons, the bird, as if it’s calling, are meant to show the power of freedom and the importance of freedom by sitting on top of the capital dome itself. So here she is on her pedestal. And you can see on her pedestal, it’s cut off here, but it says Epluribus unum. So out of many, one the motto of the United States.
5:27 You can also see there’s more laurel wreaths at the base of the pedestal and they are underneath something called a fasces. And these are bundles of rods that symbolize the authority of law. And you also see these in the seal of the United States. The eagle is holding a fasces in one of his talents so there’s a lot of symbolism here showing the power of freedom, the power,
5:52 the strength of the new country, and how important this concept would be or should be in the creation of laws in the new country. We started by asking about the symbolism or what we could learn about the relationship between laws and liberty by looking at the US. Capitol, and specifically the Statue of Freedom on top of its dome. We learned a little bit about the history of the US.
6:14 Capitol and the meaning of the statue on top of the dome and the symbolism that’s rich within the statue. But as always, there’s so much more to say and there’s so much more to the story. So now I want to turn it over to you. How would you describe the relationship between laws and liberty? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
6:34 If you guys learned something, be sure to like this video and subscribe to our channel to be sure you hear about all sorts of videos and resources coming out throughout the school year to help you with all things history and civics. I’ll be back soon with another image to help us think about the important relationship between liberty and laws. And until then, everybody keep looking at pictures and keep asking questions.
6:57 Take care. So did you learn something new? Do you know? The Bill of Rights Institute has many more videos on American history, government, and civics? From primary source document breakdowns to historical image analysis. Whether you’re preparing for a test or just interested in learning more, they’ve got you covered. And bonus on Trivia Night, everyone will want you on their team.
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