Why did the original Statue of Liberty have chains?

Answer 1

The chain at the Statue of Liberty's Feet symbolizes our freedom as a country.

So no one will steals it

Actually, there is strong evidence that the original purpose of the Statue of Liberty was to celebrate the end of American slavery. Edouard De Laboulaye, the head of the French Anti-Slavery Society and an ardent supporter of the Northern cause during the Civil War, conceived the idea of the Statue in 1865. This was a momentous year: it saw the successful conclusion of the War with the victory of the Union, the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln who had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and, closest to De Laboulaye's heart, the destruction of the slavery he detested. De Laboulaye's intent was to create a monument that commemorated these events, a gift of France to the United States that would also celebrate the friendship of two great freedom-loving nations. De Laboulaye collaborated with Auguste Bartholdi, a designer of colossal monuments, who adapted his rejected proposal for a great statue in Egypt to his plan for what became the Statue of Liberty. An early model of the Statue shows her left hand extended and holding broken chains. This was eliminated in the final construction, but broken shackles still exist at Liberty's feet, clear evidence of the Statue's anti-slavery symbolism. When Liberty was erected in New York harbor in 1886, time had diminished the power of the events that prompted De Laboulaye's original vision. Particularly, the nation's commitment to African American freed people had so faded that no one was interested in emphasizing the Statue's celebration of abolition. Also, this period saw the beginning of the arrival of tens of millions of Europeans, welcomed to America by the massive Statue holding aloft the welcoming light of freedom. The Statue took on this new "official " meaning of, as taught to American schoolchildren for the past hundred years, "that Lady Liberty was originally intended to commemorate the friendship forged between the United States and France during the Revolutionary War. By 1903, when the statue was inscribed with Me Lazarus's poetic words, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," it had come to symbolize America's status as a safe haven for refugees and immigrants from every corner of the world" and has sustained that noble representation for over 100 years. Unfortunately, the original symbolism of 1865 has been, to use Prof. Rayford Logan's description of much of African American history, "lost, strayed, or stolen." It was widely known then that it was Black soldiers who played the pivotal role in winning the war, and this gift would be a tribute to their prowess. Suzanne Nakasian, director of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island Foundations' National Ethnic Campaign said that the Black Americans' direct connection to Lady Liberty is unknown to the majority of Americans, BLACK or WHITE. When the statue was presented to the U.S. Minister to France in 1884, it is said that he remonstrated that the dominant view of the broken hackles would be offensive to a U.S. South, because since the statue was a reminder of Blacks winning their freedom. It was a reminder to a beaten South of the ones who caused their defeat, their despised former captives. Documents of Proof: 1.) You may go and see the original model of the Statue of Liberty, with the broken chains at her feet and in her left hand. Go to the Museum of the City of NY, Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street write to Peter Simians and he can send you some documentation. 2.) Check with the N.Y. Times magazine, part II_May 18, 1986. Read the article by Laboulaye. 3.) The dark original face of the Statue of Liberty can be seen in the N.Y. Post, June 17, 1986, also the Post stated the reason for the broken chains at her feet. 4.) Finally, you may check with the French Mission or the French Embassy at the U.N. or in Washington, D.C. and ask for some original French material on the Statue of Liberty, including the Bartholdi original model. You can call in September (202) 944-6060 or 6400. Please pass this information along!

Answer 2

"It never did."- This answer is not correct the Statue of Liberty's original design showed her in chains. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from The French in 1886. It is not by coincidence that this was the same time as the end of the Civil War. There can be no doubt that THE CHAINS REPRESENTED THE FREEDOM WON BY THE SLAVES OF AMERICA. The American "authorities" did not want the chains on the statue and the designer (Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi) fought hard for the chains to remain. He won, though obscured, a careful examination of the feet show there are chains. From: TheKid!

Answer 3

The broken chains around the Statue of Liberty's ankles are not know to many people. One foot is raised as if she is moving forward breaking the chains. The broken chains symbolize her movement towards freedom and leaving oppresion behind.

Answer 4

No, the Statue of Liberty has broken shackles and chains laying near her feet, to remind us that freedom requires the actual action of breaking from bondage, and that on July 4th 1776, she had just recently broken free, but was already shining a light for all others to do likewise.

Answer 5

It was a symbol representing the "breaking of the chains" and becoming free, which is what she stands for.