Statue of Liberty and Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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Statue of Liberty and Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Statue of Liberty and, to a lesser degree, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial count among the most famous American monuments. From a purely visual standpoint, the majestic, towering statue of bronze and the modest and reserved memorial with names carved into slabs of black stones may look like a study in contrasts. However, despite significant differences in their history, purpose, and public interaction and perception, the common idea of putting people before their governments still units these two otherwise dissimilar monuments.

The idea of the Statue of Liberty belonged to the French intellectuals Laboulaye and Bartholdi, who viewed it as a way to honor the United States as an example of democracy in their time. After being first conceived in 1865, it was produced in parts until the 1880s. In order to ensure the stability of the 151-foot statue, it included s strong steel carcass designed by Gustave Eiffel and sheathed with elaborately shaped sheets of bronze. In the United States, the person most responsible for the statues founding was Joseph Pulitzer, the editor of the New York Times, who launched a crowdfunding campaign for its pedestal. Thus, the construction of the monument was ultimately a joint French-American effort.

In contrast, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was an entirely American effort. It was first devised by Jan Scruggs and an associated group of Vietnam veterans that eventually became the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF). The author of the final project was created by Maya Lin, who was relatively unknown at the time. This project included two converging rows of gradually rising black stone slabs with the names of the fallen American personnel, with a bronze statue of three soldiers added later due to popular and political pressure. Much like the Statue of |Liberty, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was funded through voluntary donations without significant governmental assistance.

The purpose of the Statue of Liberty as envisaged by Laboulaye and Bartholdi was twofold. On the one hand, it was meant to honor French-American historical and cultural connections and glorify the United States as a shining example of democracy in the 19^th century. Apart from that, the statues intended placement on the Bedloes Island at the entry to the New York harbor signified its purpose as a welcoming sign to all the newcomers to the United States. As such, the Statue of Liberty was meant to be a symbol of friendship between the French and American people and a sign of the recognition of American democracy.

As for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, its purpose was exactly what is suggested by the name to honor the memory of the American fallen. This is why the monuments, composed of little but stone slabs with the names of more than 58,000 American soldiers, functions as a monumental catalog of the sacrifices that the American military made during the war. The public perception of the project was not universally positive, and the VVMF had to add a more traditional statue of three soldiers and the American flags to improve it. Still, the core purpose of the memorial is to commemorate the American fallen rather than any political cause.

Understanding the cultural context during which the Statue of Liberty was conceived requires knowledge of the political reality of this historical period. By praising American democracy, the French intellectuals were also subtly criticizing the authoritarian political regime of the Second Empire, which ruled France in 1865, when the monument was first conceived. Thus, the cultural meaning of the monument was not only a sign of foreign appreciation of the American political institutions but also a subtle statement on French politics as well.

Similarly, knowledge of the public perception of the Vietnam War is paramount to understanding the historical and cultural context of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Many veterans of the war, including Scruggs himself, felt like the American public was transferring the antipathy toward the government policies that led to the war on the soldiers who fought it. Hence, the idea behind the memorial was to separate the war from warriors and from the discussion of related political issues. This was why the VVMF insisted on the monument avoiding any political statement either for or against the war.

The American public met the Statue of Liberty favorably, as evidenced by the fact that ordinary Americans eventually gathered money for the statues pedestal. When the monuments torch-bearing hand was first displayed in Madison Square Garden, it quickly became popular. Moreover, the placement of the giant statue on Bedloes Island ensures that the monument dominates the entry to the New York Harbor and becomes the first part of America witnessed by those arriving in New York from the sea. This symbolism of Liberty welcoming the new arrivals ensured the ensuing popularity of the monument.

In contrast, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial welcomes a more solemn and contemplative perception. It is not white, triumphant, and towering but black, simple, and close to the ground. The stone slabs are intentionally low so that even the uppermost names would be easily readable. Its location on the National Mall, not too far from the Lincoln Memorial and the WWII Memorial, also invites the observers to reflect on the sacrifices made in the course of American history.

I have not personally visited the Statue of Liberty but, given its prominence as the visual image of New York City and the United States as a whole, I am certainly aware of it. In my opinion, the historical and cultural significance of the Statue of Liberty is that it puts people before governments and political parties. In 1865, when the idea of the monument first emerged, France was an authoritarian empire, and the United States, while democratic, discriminated against minorities and women. However, as Pulitzer later put it, it was a gift from the French people who loved freedom to the Americans who valued it just as much. Ordinary people, rather than politicians, made the Statue of Liberty possible, and its very existence reminds of that.

Similarly, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is also primarily about people. As with the Statue of Liberty, I have never visited it personally but was aware of it due to other works of art referencing it. Much like the Statue of Liberty, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is focused on individuals who fought and died in the war rather than the war itself. By drawing attention to the names of the fallen soldiers, it avoids glorifying or criticizing political decisions and stresses the importance of the ordinary people instead. Thus, in my opinion, its significance also lies in sending the same message of putting people before governments.

As one can see, the Statue of Liberty and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have many differences but are not devoid of common messages that underline their significance. While the former is a triumphant, soaring celebration of American democracy meant to inspire awe, the latter is a solemn and laconic invitation to contemplate those who give their lives in Americas war. However, the history and cultural significance of both monuments ultimately emphasize the same idea of people being more important than their governments.

Works Cited

The Statue of Liberty. Window to the World, Web.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Window to the World, Web.

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