Freedom Symbolic

I. Most anywhere you go in the world they have their own symbol of freedom.

A. When I was on my trip to San Antonio, as I said in my newsletter article this month, the one thing that I wanted to see if nothing else was the Alamo.

B. As a child I was for some reason interested in the Alamo. One thing that grabbed my attention was the injustice that was done there and as I have grown older I have realized how much the Alamo is a symbol of freedom.

C. The Alamo has stood as a symbol of freedom for Texans for years.

D. A Jewish Symbol of freedom is a mountain called Masada where a group of 960 men, women and children defied the Roman government.

E. Today in Afghanistan the symbol of freedom is hair. When the country was freed by American forces from Taliban rule many men shaved off their beards and women unveiled their heads for the first time in public.

F. In Berlin the symbol of freedom is something that is gone. The Berlin wall not being there anymore is a symbol of freedom for the people that live there. The wall that divided the city for nearly Thirty years is gone and its absence symbolizes freedom.

G. And the Symbol of Freedom for the Metis people of Canada is a man by the name of Louis Riel who fought for the independence of the Metis people. He played a major role in the eventual development of Manitoba and it’s becoming a Province.

II. American symbols of freedom include Liberty Bell, Old Glory, The Statue of Liberty, and the Bald Eagle.

A. The Bald Eagle is one American symbol of freedom. For six years, the members of Congress had a intense dispute over what the national emblem should be. It wasn’t until 1789 that the bald eagle was finally chosen to represent the new nation. Ben Franklin thought the Turkey would be a better symbol for our country, which makes me wonder if we would eat eagles on Thanksgiving if he had gotten his way.

B. At one of the first battles of the Revolution, early in the morning, the noise of the battle woke up the eagles. The eagles flew from their nests circling and crying out over the heads of the men that were fighting. "They are shrieking for Freedom," said the patriots.

C. The Statue of Liberty is another symbol of American freedom.

1. The Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and was designated a National Monument on October 15, 1924.

2. The Construction of the Statue began in France in 1875, and the original name for the statue was "Liberty Enlightening the World".

3. The Statue was finished in Paris in June of 1884, and was presented to America by the people of France July 4th 1884 it was dismantled and shipped to US in early 1885 in 350 pieces.

4. President Grover Cleveland was the President that accepted the gift of the statue and he said, said, "We will not forget that liberty here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected".

D. In 1701 William Penn issued the Charter of Privileges, which many historians believe was being celebrated 50 years later with the ordering of what would become the Liberty Bell.

1. In 1732 The State House (Independence Hall) was finished. This was Colonial America’s grandest public building and would be home to the Liberty Bell. At this time, however, the building had no bell.

2. In 1749 The Assembly, "Ordered, That the Superintendents of the State-House, proceed, ... to carry up a Building on the South-side of the said House to contain the Staircase, with a suitable Place thereon for hanging a Bell."

3. Shortly after the bell was delivered it was cracked, and was later repaired and hung in the tower built for it.

4. On Dec. 25, 1773 shortly after the Boston Tea Party the Bell rung the news that the ship Polly was bringing "monopoly" tea, as it was called, into Philadelphia. At this time the Assembly resolved that Captain Ayres of the Polly would neither be allowed to land nor bring his tea to the custom house.

5. On April1775 It the bell rang to announce the Battle of Lexington and Concord. But, on July 4 1776 The Liberty Bell did not ring for the Declaration of Independence. Because although The Declaration is dated July 4, 1776, it was that day that the Declaration was sent to the printer.

6. So on July 8 1776 The Bell was rung to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence and bells tolled throughout the city on that day.