Liberty Trees

By Rebecca May Davie

The last two posts were about Trail Trees that give directions to important locations: Part 1 and Part 2. This time the discussion centers around trees that point toward freedom. 

This spring as I planned for a trip to Europe with a fellow writer, I read about the “Liberty Tree” in Bayeux, France. Of course, I wanted to see it in person. It did not disappoint! The French planted “Un Platane,” an American Sycamore tree, in 1797. It is still thriving 225 years later. Opposing parties cut down or destroyed other Liberty Trees; so it is amazing that this magnificent tree survived.

If the individuals who placed this tree in the ground could see 

what is transpiring this summer of 2022, they would be in awe. First, the tree lives. Second, colorful light displays like holograms flash over the bark and across the leaves to celebrate peace. In the Place de la Liberté Square and upon the cathedral, spectators can view the show from nightfall through midnight.

Why did the French plant this tree? The French revolutionary government decided upon the symbol of Liberty Trees in 1792, based upon the American tradition. Many small trees were placed in Bayeux. This sole remaining Liberty Tree supplanted all others in 1797.

After returning from Europe, I visited Virginia with my family in July. While there, I read about a Liberty Tree at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. This 17-foot metal fabrication stands in celebration of the symbol. Twenty hanging lanterns display messages. View the images and a description on their website. While investigating, you can post a message on one of the lanterns of the tree. There is also a map of displayed messages from visitors across the globe.

What or who inspired this symbolic movement? How did it come about? Below, read a timeline of America’s first Liberty Tree in Boston, Massachusetts:

1664 – Individuals planted an elm on Orange Street in direct opposition of British rule. The settlers wanted to separate from the oppressors and rule themselves.

1765 – August, an effigy hung from the tree in opposition to the Stamp Act (passed by the British Parliament in March).

People posted notices and complaints on the tree. They gathered below the branches to discuss the state of events.

During the American Revolution there was violence, mobs, tar-and-feathers, and other demonstrations. A town meeting resulted in a vote against the violence. After, a copper plate affixed there stated, “Liberty Tree.”

1766 – Lanterns hung in the tree to celebrate the repealing of the Stamp Act.

1775 – British troops cut down the Liberty Tree.

Around Liberty Trees Americans plotted, planned, and protested in resistance to British rule. Other cities and communities installed Liberty Trees as the stories spread. As you read above, another country also adopted the symbol.

Have you visited a Liberty Tree? Please comment and share your experience.

For more information, read: The Story Behind a Forgotten Symbol of the American Revolution: The Liberty Tree.

As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator

and later as an editor for an online magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with over 75 Plans on the Bible.com app. 

Rebecca lives in the mountains with her husband, the youngest of their two sons, and a rescued dog named Ranger. If it were up to her, she would be traveling - right now. As a member of ACFW, FHLCW, Jerry’s Guild, and Hope*Writers, Rebecca learns the craft of fiction while networking with a host of generous writers. She is working on her first fiction novel. This story unfolds from the 1830s in Northern Georgia.

Connect with Rebecca:

Clubhouse Facebook Goodreads Instagram Pinterest Twitter Website 

To celebrate reaching 3 Million views, HHH is hosting a HUGE giveaway of over 60 books in 18 prizes, so there are many chances to win! One grand prize will consist of 10 books, two readers will win a second prize containing 5 books, and there will be 15 winners of a third prize containing 3 books each. There are several ways to earn entries, such as following, or commenting on the HHH blog each day. Thank you for being part of the HHH community, and best wishes in the giveaway!

The Snow Riot of 1835

By Michelle Shocklee

As the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 1:9, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." (NIV) Sadly, that wisdom-filled statement is true when it comes to racial division, particularly in the United States. As I write this blog post, our country is experiencing violence, riots, protests, and hatred aimed at police following the senseless and horrific murder of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, by a police officer. Like many of you, I'm praying for peace and protection of everyone involved, for Mr. Floyd's family, and for our nation.

Twenty-five years before the Civil War erupted, the capital city of Washington DC experienced riots of its own. In this case, it was white residents who rampaged through the city of approximately 20,000, terrorizing black residents. The difference between this riot and the ones taking place today, however, is they were not based on an actual crime. The basis for the Snow Riot of 1835, Washington's first race riot, was fear, rumor, and hatred.

A little back story.

Washington DC in the 1830s

Many free blacks lived in Washington DC, with some owning businesses, including Beverly Snow.

Mr. Snow was born a slave around 1799 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was owned by Captain William Norvell. Norvell's will left Snow to his daughter with the provision that Snow would be freed at age thirty. Until then, he was allowed to run a small oyster house and keep some of the profits. In 1829, Snow received his freedom papers, and he and his wife moved to the District of Columbia, Washington City, escaping the severe restrictions on freed blacks in Virginia. Snow set himself apart as he was educated, wealthy, and an entrepreneur. Once in Washington, he opened an oyster restaurant, the Epicurean Eating House, which became very popular. This popularity lead to resentment from the pro-slavery white population.

Numerous factors left the city ripe for an outbreak of violence:

• The Nat Turner slave rebellion in Virginia in August 1831 was still fresh in the minds of Washington DC residents. 
• There was heightened tension in the city between abolitionists and people defending slavery.
• The Nation's first labor strike by federal employees began. The strike is known as the Washington Navy Yard Strike. 175 white workers went on strike and through intimidation forced black workers to join them.

Like a match to a powder keg, it only took one drunken man and one unfounded rumor to set the whole city aflame--figuratively and literally. 

Late on the night of August 4, 1835, 18-year old Arthur Bowen, a slave owned by Mrs. Anna Maria Thornton, arrived home after a night of drinking and political discussions with free blacks. According to Arthur (and later Anna herself), he found an ax lying on the basement steps and carried it inside. For unknown reasons (he was quite drunk), he went to the bedroom of his mistress where she, his mother, and Anna's elderly mother slept. Anna woke to find him standing in the doorway with the ax. She was able to get past him and went to the neighbors for help. By her own account, Arthur had not threatened her, and by the time she returned with a male neighbor, Arthur's mother had disarmed him and sent him away. However, word of the incident quickly spread, and Arthur was arrested on August 8. 

Epicurean Eating House owned by Beverly Snow

With the city in an uproar over the supposed attempted murder of a prominent white woman by a black man, slavery defenders pounced on it as an opportunity to rid themselves of anyone opposing them. On August 10, Reuben Crandall, a white physician, Quaker, and abolitionist, was arrested on charges of "seditious libel and inciting slaves and free blacks to revolt." Crandall was nearly killed by the angry mob and was only saved when the mayor called for the milita. The mob wanted Crandall hanged, but the mayor refused and a trial date was set. Denied a lynching, the mob turned their anger onto the blacks in the city, free and slave. 

Beverly Snow got caught up in the storm. It was rumored that he had made disparaging remarks about the wives of the striking naval yard men, and they sought to make him pay. When Snow heard the mob was coming for him, he and his wife made their escape, eventually settling in Toronto, Canada. His restaurant was completely destroyed, but not before the rioters drank all his whiskey and champagne. 

Like a terrible tidal wave, the rioters moved on. Ostensibly looking for abolitionist literature, they attacked and burned homes, businesses, and churches--all owned or associated with free black citizens. They vandalized all-black schoolhouses, destroying completely those operated by Mary Wormley and John F. Cooke, a black man who escaped to Pennsylvania on a horse provided by a white supporter. The rioting lasted a week, and it took an act by President Andrew Jackson to bring the violence to an end. The riot became known as the Snow Riot because it was Beverly Snow's restaurant that was first attacked.

When things finally settled down, the black community as a whole would continue to suffer. There was no compensation given for the destruction of their homes and property. Black Codes, restrictive legislation limiting the rights of free blacks in the city, became increasingly harsh.

A question that continues to resound in my heart and mind is, why haven't we learned from history that violence and hatred never win?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichellesShocklee.com or visit her Amazon page. 

UNDER THE TULIP TREE

Releasing 9.8.20; Available for PREORDER!

Sixteen-year-old Lorena Leland’s dreams of a rich and fulfilling life as a writer are dashed when the stock market crashes in 1929. Seven years into the Great Depression, Rena’s banker father has retreated into the bottle, her sister is married to a lazy charlatan and gambler, and Rena is an unemployed newspaper reporter. Eager for any writing job, Rena accepts a position interviewing former slaves for the Federal Writers’ Project. There, she meets Frankie Washington, a 101-year-old woman whose honest yet tragic past captivates Rena.

As Frankie recounts her life as a slave, Rena is horrified to learn of all the older woman has endured—especially because Rena’s ancestors owned slaves. While Frankie’s story challenges Rena’s preconceptions about slavery, it also connects the two women whose lives are otherwise separated by age, race, and circumstances. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?

https://www.tyndale.com/p/under-the-tulip-tree/9781496446077

German History and the Month of May

By Michelle Shocklee

May is such a pleasant month--flowers blooming, baby birds hatching, sunshine without the heat of summer. But the month of May has become a time in history--German history in particular--that doesn't foster warm, pleasant feelings.

RMS Lusitania (undated AP Photo)

May 7, 1915

By early 1915, a threat to British shipping began to emerge out of Germany. U-boats, or submarines, were being used to attack naval vessels. As they achieved  more successes, U-boats began to attack merchant vessels as well. Desperate to gain an advantage on the Atlantic, the German government decided to step up its submarine campaign. On February 4, 1915, Germany declared the seas around the British Isles a war zone. Beginning on February 18, Allied ships in the area would be sunk without warning. Efforts would be taken to avoid sinking neutral ships, but there were no guarantees.

Painting of sinking RMS Lusitania

The RMS Lusitania, a luxury liner, was scheduled to leave NYC on May 1, headed to Liverpool. In an interesting move, the German Embassy issued a warning to all passengers contemplating passage on the Lusitania. It appeared in 50 US newspapers, including New York. It read:

NOTICE! Travelers intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that, in accordance with formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain, or any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and that travelers sailing in the war zone on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.
IMPERIAL GERMAN EMBASSY
Washington, D.C. 22 April 1915

Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister of Italy
1922-1943

Despite the danger, the Lusitania embarked on its voyage. On May 7, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans, out of the nearly 2,000 on board. In the aftermath of the sinking, the German government tried to justify it by claiming in an official statement that she had been armed with guns, and had "large quantities of war material" in her cargo. They also stated that since she was classed as an auxiliary cruiser, Germany had had a right to destroy her regardless of any passengers aboard, and that the warnings issued by the German Embassy before her sailing relieved Germany of any responsibility for the deaths of American citizens aboard.

May 22, 1939

In May of 1939, Italy and Germany agreed to a military and political alliance, giving birth to the Rome-Berlin Axis.
Mussolini coined the nickname “Pact of Steel” (he had also come up with the metaphor of an “axis” binding Rome and Berlin) after reconsidering his first choice, “Pact of Blood,” to describe this historic agreement with Germany. He saw this partnership as not only a defensive alliance, protection from the Western democracies, with whom he anticipated war, but also a source of backing for his Balkan adventures. Both sides were fearful and distrustful of the other, but in September 1940, the Pact of Steel would become the Tripartite Pact, with Japan making up the third constituent of the triad. World War II became the deadliest military conflict in history. An estimated 70–85 million people perished, which was about 3% of the 1940 world population.

May 1945

General Alfred Jodl, Hitler’s military advisor, controller of German High Command and chief of the Operations Staff (center), signs the document of surrender (German Capitulation) of the German armed forces at Rheims in General Eisenhower’s headquarters. He is joined by Major Wilhelm Oxenius (left) and Hans Georg von Friedeburg, Admiral of the Fleet (right). Photo by Keystone/Getty Images

On May 7, 1945, Germany officially surrendered to the Allies, bringing an end to the European conflict in World War II. General Alfred Jodl, representing the German High Command, signed the unconditional surrender of both east and west forces in Rheims, France, which would take effect the following day. As a result, May 8 was declared Victory in Europe--VE--Day, a holiday still celebrated by many European countries. While this is certainly a day to celebrate, one can't help but think of all the lives lost through the long years of war.

(Pictured are the remnants of the German Army in Prague surrendering to Allied forces.)

As someone who has German roots, I'm thankful the evil powers of Germany's past are long gone. I hope to visit that beautiful country someday...and I think I'll go in May!



Your turn: Have you visited Germany? Tell me about it!

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichellesShocklee.com or visit her Amazon page. 

UNDER THE TULIP TREE

Releasing 9.8.20; Available for PREORDER!

Sixteen-year-old Lorena Leland’s dreams of a rich and fulfilling life as a writer are dashed when the stock market crashes in 1929. Seven years into the Great Depression, Rena’s banker father has retreated into the bottle, her sister is married to a lazy charlatan and gambler, and Rena is an unemployed newspaper reporter. Eager for any writing job, Rena accepts a position interviewing former slaves for the Federal Writers’ Project. There, she meets Frankie Washington, a 101-year-old woman whose honest yet tragic past captivates Rena.

As Frankie recounts her life as a slave, Rena is horrified to learn of all the older woman has endured—especially because Rena’s ancestors owned slaves. While Frankie’s story challenges Rena’s preconceptions about slavery, it also connects the two women whose lives are otherwise separated by age, race, and circumstances. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?
 

https://www.tyndale.com/p/under-the-tulip-tree/9781496446077

 

New York Slave Revolt of 1712

By Michelle Shocklee

I've never been to New York City. It's on my bucket list, but if I never make it there, I won't be heartbroken. Big cities, crowds, and noise just aren't my thing. But just between you and me, as a history nerd, I would love to time-travel to New York City in the 1700s. Not live there, mind you, but take in all the sights and nuances before coming back to my modern comfy home with air conditioning, indoor plumbing, and wifi. One event from that time period, however, is something I would definitely not want to witness. 

After England took over the colony of New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, renaming it in honor of the Duke of York, they began importing more slaves directly from Africa rather than the West Indies. By 1712, the population of New York City was between 6,000 and 8,000 people, of whom approximately 1,000 were enslaved black people working as domestic servants, artisans, dock workers and various skilled laborers. Unlike the sprawling slave plantations of the south where slaves

were somewhat isolated from free people, residents of New York lived in close quarters, even in the city’s early days. That meant in the densely populated city, slaves and free people often worked and lived side-by-side. As one can imagine and sympathize with, resentment among the city’s slaves grew. And as a result of their close proximity, it was much easier for them to communicate with each other. Whispers of rebellion were fed as more and more laws put more and more restrictions on blacks, both slaves and freemen alike.

On the evening of April 6, a group of more than twenty slaves gathered in an orchard on Maiden Lane (near Broadway) in the center of town. Armed with swords, knives, hatchets and guns, the group sought to inspire the city’s slaves to rise up against their masters by staging a dramatic revolt. To gain the attention of the white slave owners, an outhouse was set on fire at the home of Peter Van Tilburg. When the town's residents responded to fight the fire, they were confronted by twenty-three slaves (though reports ran as high as one hundred). They attacked, killing nine people and injuring another six. Some of the panic-stricken residents ran to the fort at Battery Park and alerted governor Robert Hunter who discharged the militia to scour the city for the rioters.

Many of the slaves ran north through a wooded swamp and escaped. Seventy people were rounded up near present day Canal Street and taken into custody, although it is not clear if all had participated in the riot or were simply innocent bystanders. While awaiting trial, six of the black rioters took matters into their own hands and committed suicide. Eventually forty slaves were brought to trial. Eighteen were acquitted, and a few more were pardoned, but the remaining captives suffered greatly for their rebellion. Four were burned alive at the stake. One was tortured and killed by a medieval breaking wheel. Another was chained and starved to death, and thirteen were hanged. Among those who were hanged was a pregnant woman. She was allowed to give birth before she was led to the gallows. Afterwards, harsh rules were enacted to control the black population including restrictions on gathering, gambling, owning weapons, and travel. A high tax was placed on anyone desiring to set his slave free – often much higher than what the slave would bring at auction. This almost guaranteed the perpetual enslavement of African Americans living in New York.

The American Revolution would take place sixty years later. American Patriots would fight for their freedom on the same streets as those brave enslaved men and women fought on in 1712. How very sad that the citizens of our country in those days didn't recognize the injustice of keeping men and women in bondage while at the same time declaring their own freedom and independence. It would be another 153 years before slavery was abolished in the United States.   

Your turn: Have you ever been to New York City? What was your favorite thing to see and do? Did you visit any historical sites? Do tell!!

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including The Women of Rose Hill historical series set on a Texas cotton plantation. Her new time-slip novel set in Nashville will release in September 2020. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com.

THE WIDOW OF ROSE HILL

Widowed during the war, Natalie Ellis finds herself solely responsible for Rose Hill plantation. When Union troops arrive with a proclamation freeing the slaves, all seems lost. In order to save her son’s inheritance she strikes a deal with the arrogant, albeit handsome, Colonel Maish. In exchange for use of her family’s property, the army will provide workers to bring in her cotton crop. But as her admiration for the colonel grows, a shocking secret is uncovered. Can she trust him with her heart and her young, fatherless son?

https://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Shocklee/e/B01MYD4TRE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1486004955&sr=8-1

After Freedom: How Slaves Searched for Family

By Michelle Shocklee

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." Yet freedom for most slaves wouldn't come for two more years when the war finally ended in April 1865, and another two months to Juneteenth, the day Union troops arrived in Texas with the proclamation.

While researching my historical novels set on a Texas cotton plantation, I read dozens and dozens of true accounts of what slavery was like. These slave narratives, collected in the 1930s by the Federal Writers Project, are a treasure trove of information about the life of a slave. I wrote about my research in a blog titled I Was Born in Slavery--a Slave's Oral History.  To read and even hear the slaves' own words (there are a few recordings included in the archives!) is truly amazing. 

One heartbreaking theme is found in nearly all the narratives, and that is missing family members. Slave owners regularly split up families, selling off fathers and mothers and children for various (despicable) reasons. Slave traders often transported slaves across state lines, leaving the slaves with no hope of ever seeing their loved ones again. 

Slave auction house in Atlanta, GA, 1864

After the war ended and slavery was abolished, the task of reuniting families was monumental. Records indicate the government began collecting names and pertinent information of the former slaves, creating a sort of data bank to help locate relatives. But without modern-day technology, the endeavor took years and was far from adequate considering the vast number of people searching for their families. At the beginning of the Civil War, there were nearly four million people in bondage in the United States. You can imagine how many of them faced the hopelessness of finding their loved ones. 

As the years passed, some former slaves took to the newspapers, placing ads with information about their missing family members, hoping against all odds that someone somewhere would see it and contact them. I found them very poignant, especially those with updates that include good news. I'll share a few here and let them speak for themselves:

DO YOU KNOW THEM?

Louisville, KY , October 1, 1895.
I desire to know the whereabouts of Edwin Childs, the husband of Lucy Childs. The latter was daughter of old man Carter Page before the war. She belonged to Franklin Guy. She had two brothers, one by the name of William Page, and Archie Page. Edwin Childs belonged to Dr Worthum before the war, and he always hired his own time. His sister Muzinda, and he worked in the tobacco factory together. Edwin Childs' wife, Lucy Childs, was sold to the Negro traders before the war by Franklin Guy. Franklin Guy had two sons, one was named Tommie Guy and the other Warner Guy. 

Oblige,
Bettie Johnson, Louisville, KY

FOUND HER RELATIVES.
Louisville, Ky , October 23, 1895
Mr. Mitchell,
I have heard from my father Edwin Childs. He lives in Washington City. He saw the advertisement in the Richmond Planet. I received the letter from him Tuesday. It has been 36 years since I last saw him. We were sold away from our father in the year of 1859. I received a letter from Philadelphia, Pa , concerning the same matter. My aunt Muzinda lives in Richmond, Va. Through your kindness was the cause of me finding my father and aunt.
From yours,
Bettie Johnson, Louisville, KY

Here is another: 

INFORMATION WANTED OF MY RELATION. My uncle's name is Howard Hightower, his wife's name, Martha Hightower; three sons, Henry, Daniel and John; daughters, Mary, Caroline and Harriet. I have found Henry and Mary, who are living in Greensboro, Ga. We all belonged to William Hightower as late as 1862 '63, and at his death we were divided. Some went to Alabama, Southwestern Georgia and some to Polk county, Ga., while some remained in Green county, Ga., all of us being natives of that county. Uncle's name, Andy Hightower. Aminia and Louisiana Hightower are sisters to Andy. I will inform my uncles and aunts that their mother is living in Greensboro; also two of her sons. Any information will be gladly received by S. M. HIGHTOWER.
Rockmount, Ga.

One must wonder how many families were actually reunited with loved ones, and how many never saw their relatives again. In my historical novel The Widow of Rose Hill, two former slaves, Moses and Harriet, deal with this difficult subject. Without giving away their story, I did my best to keep to the facts of the time period, showing the heartbreak, the challenge, and the difficult decisions so many former slaves had to make. 

Put yourself in their shoes: Had you lived in those days, how would you have gone about searching for your loved ones? How long would you have tried? Would you ever give up?

Michelle Shocklee is the award-winning author of The Planter's Daughter and The Widow of Rose Hill, historical sagas set on a Texas cotton plantation before and after the Civil War. Her historical novella set in the New Mexico Territory is included in The Mail-Order Brides Collection. Michelle and her husband of 32 years make their home in Tennessee. Connect with her at www.MichelleShocklee.com.





THE WIDOW OF ROSE HILL

Widowed during the war, Natalie Ellis finds herself

solely responsible for Rose Hill plantation. When Union troops arrive with a proclamation freeing the slaves, all seems lost. How can she run the plantation without slaves? In order to save her son’s inheritance she strikes a deal with the arrogant, albeit handsome, Colonel Maish. In exchange for use of her family’s property, the army will provide workers to bring in her cotton crop. But as her admiration for the colonel grows, a shocking secret is uncovered. Can she trust him with her heart and her young, fatherless son?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078CN65FH/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

The Statue of Liberty

A Symbol of our Freedom

by Martha Rogers

I have never been to New York City, but I’ve heard about the Statue of Liberty all my life. Imagine the thrill of those immigrants in the late 19th century coming into the harbor and seeing her for the first time. I’m sure I’d be as much in awe now

as people were back then. She is a symbol of freedom and liberty to people all over the world, yet the story of her structure is one that covers a number of years and some controversy.

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was named to design a sculpture for the statue with a deadline of 1876 to coordinate with America’s centennial.

He chose the robed figure of a woman to represent Libertas, Roman goddess of liberty. She holds a torch above her head with her right hand and carries a tablet in her left. The tablet is inscribed in Roman numerals with “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” (July 4, 1776), the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. At her feet lies a broken chain representing freedom, thus leading her to become the icon of freedom and a welcome sight for those immigrants coming to America. Here is a close up of her face and crown.

Because Bartholdi needed an engineer to help with the design, he enlisted Alexandre Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame to provide assistance with structural issues. His expertise helped to make the final structure stand upright.

In the beginning, funds were hard to come by and tedious for both Americans and Frenchmen. Entertainment, public fees, and a national lottery were means used to help with the fund in France. In America, things did not go as smoothly or quickly. Auctions, entertainment, and even fights were arranged to help. Joseph Pulitzer became a catalyst to get the American movement going. He wrote an editorial for his newspaper and put pressure on the rich and middle class to help provide funds.

In 1885, the finances for the pedestal were completed, and the construction completed in April of 1886. The statue had been finished and waiting in France since 1884. In order to get here her, she had to be broken down into 350 pieces and packed in 214 crates. Now that’s a big statue. 

The picture at right is the torch that was first used, but it has since been replaced because of the age and

deterioration of the first one.  It is on 
display there at the museum. 







Here is how it looks today. 

Ten years later than the 1876 target date, on October 28, 1886, she was dedicated and placed on the granite pedestal within the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood. New York City’s first ticker-tape parade took place and President Grover Cleveland presided over the dedication.

Various groups have been assigned to her care and upkeep. Until 1901, that responsibility fell on United States Lighthouse Board. In 1903, the Emma Lazarus Poem, “The New Colossus”, was written for the statue and engraved on a bronze plaque, 20 years after it was written.

“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:”

Those words give me chills even as I read them today. So many thousands of people have come to our shores for the very reasons stated in the poem.

After the Lighthouse Board, the war department took over in 1901. On October 15, 1924, she was declared to be a National Monument by Presidential Proclamation that included Ft. Wood.  In 1933 she was placed in care of the National Park Service which later expanded to include Bedloe Island. In 1956, the name was changed to Liberty Island.

Not until 1965 was Ellis Island transferred to the National Park Service to become part of the monument. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan began a campaign to restore the monument at the cost of $87 million dollars. In 1984, the Statue of Liberty was declared as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. Reconstruction was completed on July 5, 1986, one hundred years after her first dedication.

Originally, tourists could explore all parts of the statue, including the arm and torch she held high. The crown contained observation windows for tourists to look out over the harbor.  In 1916, the arm and torch area were declared unsafe and shut off from tourists.

In order to comprehend how huge the statute is, remember it was shipped in 214 crates. Parts of her were sent to various places to be on display. The Centennial Exposition in 

Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 displayed the torch and arm. Other parts were displayed elsewhere. This is her foot to give you some perspective of her colossal size. 

After September 11, 2001, she was closed for 100 days. The grounds re-opened, but the statue remained closed until August of 2004. Today visitors may tour the island and go to the pedestal observation deck to view the harbor. Tourists also have access to a promenade, museum, Fort Wood and Ellis Island. Although I have never seen the Statue of Liberty in person, her image still brings a lump to my throat and thankfulness for this country to my heart. 

My new novella, Freedom's Journey tells the story of a young woman who came as an immigrant in 1887 will be released in February.

After her grandmother's death in England, Rosemary Beckett is left with only a house and no means of support. An old friend of her deceased father offers her a position as governess to his grandchildren. He pays her passage and Rosemary embarks on her journey. When they arrive in New York Harbor, she meets a charming young man who catches her interest, but because he's a first class passenger, she flees the ship without revealing her identify. Alexander Cartwright finds her again when he visits his brother and sees her as the governess. He believes this is God's answer to his prayers to find her, but her heart is locked against any relationship with a family member. He is determined to break that lock and set her heart free for love.

Martha Rogers is a multi-published author and writes a weekly devotional for ACFW. Martha and her husband Rex live in Houston, Texas where they are active members of First Baptist Church. They are the parents of three sons and grandparents to eleven grandchildren and great-grandparents to four. Martha is a retired teacher with twenty-eight years teaching Home Economics and English at the secondary level and eight years at the college level supervising student teachers and teaching freshman English. She is the Director of the Texas Christian Writers Conference held in Houston in August each year, a member of ACFW, ACFW WOTS chapter in Houston, and a member of the writers’ group, Inspirational Writers Alive.

Find Martha at:  www.marthawrogers.com

A NEW WOMAN EMERGES - INDEPENDENT WOMEN OF THE 1920s

ANNE GREENE here. I’m writing a book, working title, AGAINST ALL ODDS, about the 1920s. The research is so fascinating I’m sharing with my readers. I hope you enjoy learning more about that jazzy decade. 

A woman of 1920 would be surprised to know that she would be remembered as a new woman. Many changes would enter her life in the next ten years. Significant changes for women took place in politics, the home, the workplace, and in education. Some were the results of laws passed, many resulted from newly developed technologies, and all had to do with changing attitudes toward the place of women in society.  

When passed in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote. Surprisingly, some women didn’t want the vote. People believed women’s roles and men’s roles did not overlap. This idea of separate spheres held that women should concern themselves with home, children, and religion, while men took care of business and politics.

Though slow to use their newly won voting rights, by the end of the decade women influenced the political agenda of the federal government. They put more emphasis on social improvement, such as protective laws for child labor and prison reform.

Female high school students seldom expected to go to college. If they did, most women became teachers or nurses as these were considered suitable professions for women. Few women earned degrees during the 1920s. But times were changing, and each year more women earned college degrees.

Before WWI most women lived in rural areas without electricity. Imagine trying to keep food fresh without a refrigerator, ironing with an iron that had to be reheated constantly, cooking on a woodstove, going to an outside well for water, and visiting an outhouse instead of a bathroom.

The 1920s women found that electricity made housework easier, with electrically run vacuum cleaners, irons, and washing machines. Electricity meant that people could stay up later at night, because electric lights were more efficient than kerosene lamps and candles. Indoor plumbing brought water inside and introduced a new room to clean—the bathroom. 

In the 1920s only about 15 percent of white and 30 percent of black married women with wage-earning husbands held paying jobs. Most Americans believed that women should not work outside the home if their husbands held jobs. As a result, wives seldom worked at outside jobs. However, some married women in desperate need took jobs in textile mills.

By 1922 mills hired female floor workers. Cotton mills employed a few nurses, teachers, and social workers to staff social and educational programs. Black women worked as domestic and child-care workers. Public acceptance of wage-earning jobs for young unmarried women grew. No longer being limited to work as mill girls or domestics, women began to perform clerical work in offices and retail work in shops and department stores. Some young married women worked until they had children. Working for wages gave women independence, and by 1930 one in four women held a paying job.

Despite increasing opportunities in employment and education, and the expanding concept of a woman’s place, marriage remained the goal of most young women. Magazine articles and movies encouraged women to believe that their security and social status depended on a successful marriage. The majority worked only until they married.

Today the easily recognized image of the flapper symbolizes the 1920s for many people. The flapper—with her short skirts, short hair, noticeable makeup, and fun-loving attitude—represented a new freedom for women. The old restrictions on dress and behavior were overthrown.

Is this glamorous and rebellious image of the flapper a true representation of the 1920s woman? Not entirely. In order to be a flapper, a woman had to have enough money and free time to play the part. College girls, unmarried girls living at home, and independent office workers most frequently presented themselves as flappers. However, the average woman did wear the fashions made popular by flappers. As often happens, unconventional clothing integrated into fashion.

Flappers popularized slender, boyish fashions. Figures were flattened with undergarments. Hemlines, straight or uneven, gradually crept up, and waistlines dropped. High-fashion evening wear in tubular, sleeveless styles featured beading and fringe. Day dresses copied the evening lines. Short skirts were complemented by flesh-colored stockings worn with decorative shoes. Hair was cut close to the head and covered outdoors by the close-fitting cloche hat. Makeup became respectable. Between 1920 and 1930 women’s appearance changed completely.

Women’s lives changed. Society accepted that women could be independent and make choices for themselves in education, jobs, marital status, and careers. Women’s spheres broadened to include public as well as home life. The new woman was on her way.

Leave a comment on what you think was the best change for women in the 1920s for a chance to win an autographed copy of MARRIAGE BY ARRANGEMENT.

ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. Her second novel, a Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage, won three prestigious book awards. The sequel Marriage By Arrangement released November, 2013.  A Texas Christmas Mystery also won awards. Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to awesome new worlds and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. She loves to talk with her readers. Buy Anne’s books at http://www.Amazon.com. Talk with Anne on twitter at @TheAnneGreene. View Anne’s books, travel pictures and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com.

Learn more about Anne as well as get tips on writing award-winning books at http://www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com.