Philip Reid saves the statue of freedom / [written by] Steven Sellers Lapham & Eugene Walton ; Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.
Material type:
TextPublisher: Ann Arbor, MI : Sleeping Bear Press, [2014]Description: 36 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 29 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 1585368199
- 9781585368198
- Crawford, Thomas, 1813 or 1814-1857. Freedom -- Juvenile literature
- Reid, Philip, approximately 1820-1892 -- Juvenile literature
- African Americans -- Biography -- Juvenile literature
- Foundry workers -- United States -- Biography -- Juvenile literature
- Slaves -- United States -- Biography -- Juvenile literature
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Children's Book
|
Main Library | Children's Biography | Reid, P. L312 | Available | 33111007479427 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
On December 2, 1863, a bronze statue was placed atop the dome of the United States Capitol. Standing more than 19 feet tall, the figure called "Freedom" was designed and created during a period of great turmoil in American history. But at one point during its creation, it wasn't clear the statue would even get to its final destination. One man, in particular, played an important role in seeing the statue through to completion. His name was Philip Reid. Born into slavery, Reid grew up on a South Carolina farm, helping various craftsmen such as the blacksmith and the potter. Eventually, he was sold to a man named Clark Mills, who opened a foundry in Washington, D.C. Mills's foundry was contracted to cast the Freedom statue, but the project was jeopardized when a seemingly unsolvable puzzle arose. And it was Philip Reid who stepped in to solve it.
One man stepped forward to solve the puzzle. If he failed, the Statue of Freedom's plaster model might break. Then it would never be cast in bronze, never be lifted to the top of the Capitol dome in Washington, D.C. Who was this man? He was Philip Reid, a skilled-- and enslaved-- African American. The year was 1859, and the nation was being slowly torn apart by a conflict that would, in two years, ignite the Civil War. Philip stepped forward and solved a construction puzzle that had baffled both craftsmen and engineers. Later, he helped cast the famous statue in a Maryland foundry. The Statue of Freedom was finally lifted to the top of the Capitol on December 2, 1863, as the tide of the war was turning in favor of the Union . We know that African Americans, both enslaved and free, built much of the capital city of Washington, D.C., during the 1700s and 1800s. For most of these men and women, there is little written evidence of their contribution. Philip Reid is an exception. Preserved historical documents tell us of Philip's contribution, and his poignant story is told through the words and pictures in this book.