:What do palmetto trees, rattlesnakes and the Statue of Liberty
have in common? The answer is revealed with a visit to "American
Visions of Liberty & Freedom," on view at the National
Heritage Museum, July 1 to October 15.
The exhibition shows how generations of Americans from
Revolutionary times to the present, have drawn, carved and
quilted symbols to represent their sometimes-conflicting
definitions of liberty and freedom. Among the more than 200
objects in the exhibition are icons such as the Statue of
Liberty, Uncle Sam and the American flag that have been revived,
revised, reviled or reinterpreted to express the concerns of
succeeding generations.
For example, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, all US
Navy vessels were ordered to fly the Navy's original red and
white striped naval jack bearing a rattlesnake and the words
"Don't Tread On Me." This was the jack used in the Revolutionary
War, and its use was revived as a symbol of the nation's
traditional resolve. The flag on view in the exhibition was flown
aboard the USS Nashville during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Similarly, the palmetto tree, a Revolutionary War symbol of South
Carolina's resistance to the British, reappeared during the
secession movement of 1860-1861.
The first exhibition section, "E Pluribus Unum," deals with the
mounting protest against British policies, such as the Stamp Act,
Townshend Acts and Tea Act. Regional symbols of resistance, like
the backwoods rattlesnake symbol, spread throughout the nation.
After the war, the new nation realized it needed unifying symbols
for the nation's varying interpretations of liberty and freedom.
Important objects in this section are a Liberty Tree powder horn;
a 1790 cotton textile panel called "The Apotheosis of Franklin";
and a rare silver badge from the African American "Bucks of
America," a Massachusetts Revolutionary War unit composed of
former slaves.
The Statue of Liberty stands with six women in this "Mother of
Exiles" quilt by Rebekka Seigel of Owenton, Ky. Left to right,
they are Anne Hutchinson, who challenged the Puritan
establishment in Massachusetts; Betsy Ross, who probably
contributed part of the design of the US flag; Harriet Tubman,
who led escaped slaves to freedom; Susan B. Anthony, who fought
for women's voting rights; Emma Lazarus, who wrote the poem
"The New Colossus" that linked the statue to immigrants' hopes;
and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who helped draft the UN
Declaration of Human Rights. Courtesy Phyllis George.
"A New Birth of Freedom" deals with the place of African
Americans in American society, terminating in civil war. The
abolitionist movement, secession movement, Confederacy and Union
each had its own symbols. The hammer of an 1863 rifle is cast in
the shape of President Abraham Lincoln's head, and a whale's tooth
is incised with a picture of a member of the United States Colored
Troops. An African American in his country's uniform, bearing a
weapon, was a powerful symbol of freedom, especially to black
Americans.
"The Golden Door" focuses on issues of economic justice from the
unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in 1886 to the New Deal to the
globalization issues of today. Section Four, "Freedom Now!,"
shows the symbols invented by Twentieth Century social movements,
including the women's suffrage and civil rights movements and how
liberty and freedom are invoked by both sides on some of today's
issues. The final section, "To Make the World Safe for
Democracy," examines the tension between liberty and security in
wartime, from the Spanish American War to the war against
terrorism.
The exhibition is funded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities and organized by the Virginia Historical Society with
additional support from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter
Foundation and the Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Changing
Exhibitions Fund.
The National Heritage Museum is at 33 Marrett Road. For
information, 781-861-6559 or www.monh.org.
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