Emancipation Hall - Capitol Visitor Center Statue Of Freedom
The model for the statue was originally cast in five main sections from clay sculpted by Crawford in Rome. The model was completed in November 1856 and shipped to the United States in April 1858. Upon its arrival nearly a year later, the model was assembled in the Old Hall of the House (now National Statuary Hall).
In 1860, Clark Mills was selected to cast the bronze statue at his foundry near Washington, D.C. The Statue of Freedom was cast with the assistance of an enslaved artisan, Philip Reid. The casting was completed by 1862, and the bronze statue was displayed on the Capitol Grounds until the Capitol Dome was completed. The five sections were then hoisted up and bolted together atop the tholos the ring of cloumns topping the Capitol Dome), with the head of the statue set in place on December 2, 1863 to a salute of 35 guns, answered by the guns of the 12 forts around Washington.
The Visitor Center’s opening date of December 2, 2008 is the 145th anniversary of the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol Dome. By placing the model for the Statue of Freedom in Emancipation Hall, visitors can see details of the statue that would be impossible for them to see from the ground looking up at the statue atop the Capitol.
Recent comments
Freedom Statue, is short on the truth of true freedom for Black Americans.
| show fullshow summaryDear Friends of the Capitol,
Our great legacy as a nation was started under a dark cloud of the sad fact: Slavery. For the noble efforts of the great Abolitionists of the Mid-nineteenth century, Freedom may have not become so; in 1861, had...
Dear Friends of the Capitol,
Our great legacy as a nation was started under a dark cloud of the sad fact: Slavery. For the noble efforts of the great Abolitionists of the Mid-nineteenth century, Freedom may have not become so; in 1861, had it not been by the dedication, the commitment and his willing to sacrifice his career; This man of freedom our nations first emancipator, John C. Fremont. His act in August, 1861 as an official representative of the United States Government. He would lead Lincoln to review, then declare a sweeping emancipation of his own. Had Fremont not pushed this, slavery may well have continued in northern states beyond the war. Please join our efforts to educate our Republic on Civics, Leadership and International Understanding, The Fremont Civics Foundation. Please google Aleq Boyle Civics, for more details. Next time lets do a statue that commemorates the true man of freedom, freedom for all, regardless of color thank you JOHN C. FREMONT, FIRST EMANCIPATOR OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Alex "Aleq" Boyle
President
Fremont Civics Foundation
Savannah, Georgia
912 920 4212
Posted by Aleq Boyle (guest) on Wed 07 Jul 2010 10:17:01 PM UTC
GIFT SIZED REPLICA - CLICK HERE
Posted by Washington Insiders (guest) on Fri 05 Mar 2010 06:37:35 PM UTC
Statue of Freedom Model
Statue of Freedom can be seen in far distance atop the U.S. Capitol
Posted by John Allen on Wed 19 Nov 2008 07:14:29 PM UTC