The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor. The statue was a gift from the people of France commemorating the French-American alliance during the American Revolutionary War. Designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the entire structure stands 300 feet (92.9 meters) tall. The pedestal contains the 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!”
Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
Serving a total of 10 terms in the House of Representatives, Andrew Volstead of Minnesota chaired the Judiciary Committee in the 66th and 67th Congresses (1919-1923).
On this date, the 66th Congress (1919–1921) overrode President Woodrow Wilson’s veto of the National Prohibition Act. Known as the Volstead Act (H.R. 6810), after Judiciary Chairman Andrew Volstead of Minnesota, this law was introduced by the House to implement the Prohibition Amendment by defining the process and procedures for banning alcoholic beverages, as well as their production and distribution. When Volstead introduced an earlier version of the law (H.R. 3458) on May 27, 1919, Democrats countered with what would be known as the “wet law,” or repeal of the Wartime Prohibition. The battle between the “wets” and the “bone-drys,” as Prohibition supporters were known, ensued that summer in the House. In one debate, Chairman Volstead defended the act, stating “The American people have said that they do not want any liquor sold, and they have said it emphatically by passing almost unanimously the constitutional amendment.” With a Republican majority in the House, the law passed the chamber convincingly on July 22, 1919 with a vote 287 to 100. The Volstead Act remained in effect until the passage of the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition in 1933.
1886 – The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor. The statue was a gift from the people of France commemorating the French-American alliance during the American Revolutionary War. Designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the entire structure stands 300 feet (92.9 meters) tall. The pedestal contains the 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!”
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most prominent monuments in the world, but few people know its connection to Civil Rights, slavery, and emancipation. Visitors travel from all over to see the magnificent structure in New York, bringing in roughly 4.5 million people every year. Yet the original meaning behind the Statue of Liberty may not be as well-known as Lady Liberty herself.
The statue came to New York in 1886 as a symbol of liberty and freedom two decades after the American Civil War. Most people associate the monument with immigrants arriving at the New York Harbor. However, many don’t know that the creators behind the statue originally wanted it to honor the end of slavery.
It wasn’t until six years after the statue was unveiled in New York that Ellis Island opened, allowing for millions of immigrants to make their way through the inspection station and into America. The bronze plaque along the pedestal of the statue was then later added in 1903, displaying the recognized line from “The New Colossus,” a poem by Emma Lazarus:
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Source: statueoflibertytours.com for the complete article
On this day in 1965, construction is completed on the Gateway Arch, a spectacular 630-foot-high parabola of stainless steel marking the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the waterfront of St. Louis, Missouri. The Gateway Arch, designed by Finnish-born, American-educated architect Eero… read more »
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