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KCI 후보
자유의 여신상 : 그 신화와 현실
The Statue of Liberty Its Myth and Reality
손영호(Young Ho Son)
미국사연구 13권 45-73(29pages)
UCI I410-ECN-0102-2009-940-005727645

This article is to identify some of the principal meanings associated with the Statue of Liberty and to explore their evolution in light of the historical context. What does freedom truly mean? And how has its definition changed for different groups at different time? By exploring the Statue`s historical and political roots, and by listening to the varying voices celebrating and lamenting Lady Liberty, we may expose a more comprehensive understanding of how Americans interpret freedom and liberty. Standing at the entrance to New Yak harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of friendship from the French people to the United States to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American independence. It symbolizes liberty in the form of a woman, with broken chains of tyranny at her feet, who holds a touch aloft in her right hand and carries in her left one a book inscribed $quot;July 4, 1776.$quot; The silent and blank face of the Statue has become an omnipresent symbol of freedom and equality to American people. It was initially conceived by French creates as a political propaganda to perpetuate ideals of liberty, equality and Republicanism at a time when these ideals were vulnerable in France. The pro-immigrant, welcoming meanings of the Statue were neither intended by its creators nor perceived by most persons at the time of its dedication. A principal source of pro-immigrant meanings came from Emma Lazarus`s famous poem, $quot;The New Colossus.$quot; Through her poem, the Statue gained a new name, $quot;Mother of Exiles$quot; and became a beacon of welcome for immigrants. However, it was the immigrants themselves who were largely responsible for the pro-immigrant interpretation of the Statue. Born on foreign soil and shipped in 214 wooden cartes, its journey from Paris to New York, in many instances, paralleled to the voyages that many immigrants endured to make it to America. Freed from oppression or misery, immigrants hailed it with delight and promise, feeling themselves uplifted and restored. In contrast to the self-celebration of immigrants, political leaders and native Americans at the turn of the 20th century considered the Statue as a watchful protector of the gates, forcibly demanding immigrants loyalty, patriotism and confirmity. At that time, it easily signified the counter-current of immigration restriction and nativism. In his poem $quot;Unguarded Gates,$quot; Aldrich interpreted it as warlike symbol of nationalism and white supremacy, a chilling portrayal of the xenophobic strains weaving through American history. The Statue was described as a guardian to prevent the invasion of the $quot;wild motley throng,$quot; only celebrating the freedom of persons within the gates. The historical context showed enormous tension between ideals represented by the Statue and the real experiences of people of color and women. At the time of the Statue`s arrival, liberty and equality for blacks were no more than a $quot;paper and parchment$quot; promise overwhelmed by white hostility, state-enforced inequality and segregation. Women were also excluded from the national political and economic life both in America and France. Women suffragists complained their lack of access to the ballot and demanded equal socio-economic treatment. Therefore, the Statue of Liberty provided a benchmark against which many Americans - particularly immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, and people of color and women - could measure and protest their lack of freedom and equality. Perhaps the Statue`s most interesting meanings lay in these contradictions between values it symbolized and lived reality of many people in America. However, the contradictions were gradually diminished for many Americans. Women finally received a constitutional guarantee of their right to vote. Blacks gained the equal treatment with the white in national life. The state-sponsored segregation acts were declared unconstitutional. The race-based restriction acts like the

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