Columbia

In the United States, there is no other city besides New York that offers such a wide variety of monuments, statues, and landmarks that embody American Exceptionalism. From the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty, American Exceptionalism is strongly embodied in New York’s skyline and architecture. One statue and monument that is not usually recognized as one of New York’s significant landmarks, is the statue of Columbia on top of the USS Maine National Monument, located near Columbus Circle. Columbia was once a widely known figure in the United States who was essentially the female personification of America. Since the early 20^th Century however, Columbia has been replaced by the Statue of Liberty as the United States’ most well-known female personification. Despite this, Columbia is still an important symbol for American Exceptionalism.

            Atop a colossal pylon, a bronze gilded statue of Columbia and three hippocampi—legendary creatures which are half horse and half fish—keep watch over Columbus Circle and all who enter Central Park. Historically, this monument was created in honor of those who died aboard the USS Maine in 1898 after the ship’s sinking in Havana, Cuba. However, the statue of Columbia in this monument, is entirely capable of holding a different meaning. Personally, I connect this statue of Columbia with Henry Ward Beecher’s writings on beauty and religion. Beecher wrote that God created beauty for a reason, and that reason is so that we, as humans, can relish in the beauty of the world. Columbia appears as a goddess in this statue and sunlight glares off her golden armor. It is a bright and shining statue and is a strong contrast to the grey buildings and green trees that surround it. In terms of American Exceptionalism, this can be explained in terms of Beecher’s view by seeing Columbia’s beauty as divinely given to us and placed in the United States, a country full of natural beauty, such as the trees in Central Park, as well as manmade beauty like the architectural wonders of New York City.

            Although Columbia may be a somewhat forgotten American icon, she still represents values that are essential to the American narrative such as freedom, liberty, and justice. These values are essential to the idea of American Exceptionalism but they can also be seen as values which are essential to American religion and religious freedom. In his book Peace of Mind, Rabbi Joshua Liebman writes that the United States could potentially become a nation composed of religious freedom and acceptance if it were to follow a harmonial tradition of religion. By this, he means a tradition of healthy minded and spiritually healthy people. The spirit of Columbia offers this to the United States through her representations of freedom, liberty, and justice. These ideals of an American icon of the past are not forgotten and continue to shine as bright today as they did when this statue of Columbia was first erected.