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I mentioned Kirk Savage's book, <u>Standing Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves</u>, in a previous post on this topic and linked to the full text of the chapter, "Freedom's Memorial," which deals specifically with the Lincoln Park statue group. I link it again here:</div>
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<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=E9bDt6n9DW4C&pg=PA89&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false" id="LPNoLP893836">https://books.google.com/books?id=E9bDt6n9DW4C&pg=PA89&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false</a><br>
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Jobyl</div>
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14th St, SE</div>
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<br>
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:21:08 -0500<br>
From: Hannah Bergman <hannah.haley@gmail.com><br>
To: lincolnparkdc@lincolnparkdc.info<br>
Subject: Re: [Lincolnparkdc] Origins of Lincoln Park Statue<br>
<br>
When I talked to her today about it, she said she is supportive of the<br>
statue as is. She believed that there was a debate at the time on the<br>
design and that there had been a consensus, and that the statue should be<br>
viewed as part of a larger body of work.<br>
<br>
Her own graduate research focused on the differences between statues in the<br>
Caribbean which feature slaves breaking free and asserting themselves as<br>
opposed to those in the US which she described as being in the loyal mammy<br>
vein. She pointed to this story<br>
<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/the-mammy-washington-almost-had/276431/">https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/the-mammy-washington-almost-had/276431/</a><br>
as an example of a successful push back against a statue.<br>
<br>
Hannah<br>
<br>
On Wed, Jun 17, 2020 at 7:26 PM Diana Quinn <dqquinn@gmail.com> wrote:<br>
<br>
> I'd be interested to know what she thinks about the Lincoln Park statue....<br>
> On Wed, Jun 17, 2020 at 8:23 PM Hannah Bergman <hannah.haley@gmail.com><br>
> wrote:<br>
><br>
>> Hi,<br>
>><br>
>> One of my coworkers (I work at the National Archives) did her graduate<br>
>> work in history on statutes and racial iconography. She recommended this<br>
>> book, for a scholarly discussion of the issue.<br>
>><br>
>> Standing Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves: Race, War, and Monument in<br>
>> Nineteenth-Century America,<br>
>><br>
>> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07CSFQTMS/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=">
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07CSFQTMS/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=</a><br>
>><br>
>> I believe there is significantly more to the discussion and meaning of<br>
>> the statue then just taking the images at face value.<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> Hannah<br>
>><br>
>> On Tue, Jun 16, 2020 at 4:51 PM padma cariappa <padmacariappa@gmail.com><br>
>> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>>> Thank you for this interesting and enlightening background, Sandra.<br>
>>> I do hope its history and origins are given some thought by those who<br>
>>> may have designs on the statue.<br>
>>> Best regards, Padma<br>
>>><br>
>>> On Jun 16, 2020, at 5:43 PM, Sandra Moscoso-Mills <<br>
>>> smoscosomills@hotmail.com> wrote:<br>
>>><br>
>>> More (short) reading! Passing this background along from our friends at<br>
>>> NPS.<br>
>>> ----------<br>
>>><br>
>>> Sources are the original speech delivered by Frederick Douglass at the<br>
>>> dedication of the statue at Library of Congress, Program at the dedication<br>
>>> at Library of Congress, and the book "The story of Archer Alexander" from<br>
>>> 1886.<br>
>>><br>
>>> Of note: Frederick Douglass was the keynote speaker when the statue was<br>
>>> dedicated in 1876 and he saw it a symbol of freedom - although he did both<br>
>>> praise and criticize the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln at the dedication.<br>
>>><br>
>>> Key points:<br>
>>><br>
>>> 1. It is an anti-slavery statue. It was officially titled<br>
>>> "Freedom's Memorial"<br>
>>> 2. Anti-slavery allegories on the statue show a former whipping post<br>
>>> (with scourge marks showing the violence of slavery) - whipping post has<br>
>>> ivy growing up it to show that slavery is a thing of the past in the US.<br>
>>> The formerly enslaved person has broken shackles on his wrists to show that<br>
>>> he freed himself - a tribute to the African American Union soldiers who<br>
>>> fought for freedom during the Civil War, or as quoted in the book: "The<br>
>>> Story of Archer Alexander" (1885) "whose hand has grasped the chain as if<br>
>>> in the act of breaking it, indicating the historical fact that slaves took<br>
>>> active part in their own deliverance."<br>
>>> 3. Funding for the statue ($17,000) was raised entirely by African<br>
>>> Americans - note there were those in the US government (notably President<br>
>>> Andrew Johnson) who tried to prevent the erection of the statue because<br>
>>> they were pro-Southern.<br>
>>> 4. The African American in the statue is based on a real person,<br>
>>> Archer Alexander - who had been enslaved but freed during the Civil War.<br>
>>> 5. The kneeling of the enslaved person: Two interpretations here:<br>
>>> One is he is rising from the condition of slavery. The 1886 book "The Story<br>
>>> of Archer Alexander" states that he is receiving a benediction from<br>
>>> Lincoln.<br>
>>> 6. In addition to Douglass, US Representative, John Mercer Langston,<br>
>>> first African American US Representative from Virginia, gave a short<br>
>>> address at the dedication of the statue.<br>
>>> 7. The statue was the historical epicenter for DC Emancipation Day<br>
>>> ceremonies during much of the 19th century.<br>
>>> 8. The Mary McLeod Bethune statue was erected to compliment the<br>
>>> Freedom's Memorial - the plaza between them is known as "Centennial Plaza"<br>
>>> to represent the 100 years between the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and<br>
>>> the original intended date of the Bethune statue (1963) (note: active Civil<br>
>>> Rights issues in the 1960s delayed the erection of the Bethune statue until<br>
>>> 1974). When erected, the "Lincoln" statue was turned to face Mrs. Bethune.<br>
>>><br>
>>><br>
>>> What Frederick Douglass said (conclusion of his speech dedicating the<br>
>>> statue) (Speech and program are at the library of Congress)<br>
>>> <<a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/lcrbmrp.t0c12/?sp=1&r=0.116,0.157,0.741,0.903,0">https://www.loc.gov/resource/lcrbmrp.t0c12/?sp=1&r=0.116,0.157,0.741,0.903,0</a>><br>
>>><br>
>>> ". . . In doing honor to our friend and liberator, we have been doing<br>
>>> the highest honors to ourselves and those who come after us; we have been<br>
>>> fastening to ourselves to a name and fame imperishable and immortal; we<br>
>>> have also been defending ourselves from a blighting scandal. When now it<br>
>>> shall be said that the colored man is soulless, that he has no appreciation<br>
>>> of benefits and benefactors when the foul reproach of ingratitutde is<br>
>>> hurled at us, and it is attempted to scourge us beyond the range of human<br>
>>> brotherhood, we may calmly point to the monument we have this day erected<br>
>>> to the memory of Abraham Lincoln."<br>
>>><br>
>>><br>
>>> ------------------------------<br>
>>> *From:* lincolnparkdc <lincolnparkdc-bounces@lincolnparkdc.info> on<br>
>>> behalf of Nicholas Alberti <alberti6a04@yahoo.com><br>
>>> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 16, 2020 5:12 PM<br>
>>> *To:* lincolnparkdc@lincolnparkdc.info <lincolnparkdc@lincolnparkdc.info<br>
>>> *Subject:* [Lincolnparkdc] Origins of Lincoln Park Statue<br>
>>><br>
>>> I suggest the neighbors read the link below that describes the origin of<br>
>>> the Lincoln statue in the park.<br>
>>> Emancipation Memorial (Freedman's Memorial)<br>
>>> <<a href="https://washington.org/find-dc-listings/emancipation-memorial-freedmans-memorial">https://washington.org/find-dc-listings/emancipation-memorial-freedmans-memorial</a>><br>
>>><br>
>>> Nick Alberti<br>
<br>
<br>
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