The American Civil War began April 12, 1861 and lasted till May 9,1865. The war was to combat slavery in the very young United States of America. The country was split. Today, many ask the question, “Did the war ever really end?”
Picture yourself on the grounds of the incomplete Capitol with the fury of a civil war threatening all around. The dome of the Capitol, the very symbol of hope and freedom in the world, was being built awaiting its crowning essence — The Lady of Freedom.
All construction was abruptly stopped, however. Money was needed for the war but President Abraham Lincoln — our 16th President — made a powerful decision. In order to support the people and give them faith in the future, he ordered the work to continue as a sign of hope that the Republic would endure.
In those days, photography was not in wide use so we rely on the images within our minds as we read what history has recorded for us.
The Capitol was used as a hospital for the battle-injured soldiers towards the end of the Civil War and both soldiers and capitol construction workers alike are said to have slept between the rafters of ironwork and wood strewn upon the grounds. Perhaps they gathered in comfort sensing within themselves that the US Capitol would someday truly be a, “Temple of Liberty.”
Today we combat “slavery” of a different kind, that of mind-control and the losses of our freedom to speak and gather. After the siege of the Capitol on January 20, 2021, we clearly see US Military men and women sleeping inside of the Capitol Dome at the feet of the Lady of Freedom.
Like a Great Mother, she watches over her children with concern and compassion as she now steps fully forward into her “I”dentity as a Mother of Nations. There is no darkness that can take her light for she is the heart of the nation, America — the hope of the world.
Author
Kristen Farquhar
Photographer unknown
Educational purposes: Fair Use Notice
Comments