Recent Statue of Liberty Commentaries

Featured image for “Who We Were. Who We Are…”
Who We Were. Who We Are…
Today, America is 250 years old. This Fourth of July, amid deep national division, it seems worth asking a simple question: Which of our country’s monuments speaks most clearly to the promise of America? It sits in New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, dedicated in 1886 as a tribute to freedom and democracy. For...
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July 4, 2026
Featured image for “An Act of Faith”
An Act of Faith
Near the end of Ken Burns’ documentary on the Statue of Liberty, historian David McCullough reflects on the statue’s symbolism. “She isn’t a warrior. She isn’t bombastic or threatening. She isn’t a symbol of power. The Statue of Liberty is an act of faith.” McCullough emphasizes the core values that have always been essential to America’s growth and resilience in...
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March 3, 2025
Read Some of the Most Recent Articles
The Latest... And Often Greatest
Jon Ossoff and the Conscience of Atticus Finch
I’ve written about Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff before, but after watching his questioning of Jay Clayton, President Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence (DNI),...
Hearts and Minds
There’s a moment in Cool Hand Luke when Luke, played by Paul Newman, is returned to a prison camp after escaping. Determined to break his...
The Ethics of Belonging
I recently read a book by a man who has learned some of life’s hardest lessons and, by his own account, is still learning them...
The Best of Us
“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things—not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” When...
The Standard Washington Set
Much has been written about George Washington, our first American president: his command of the Continental Army, his leadership in the fragile birth of a...
Who We Were. Who We Are…
Today, America is 250 years old. This Fourth of July, amid deep national division, it seems worth asking a simple question: Which of our country’s...