Until 1851, all United States coins featured a female
normally referred to as Lady Liberty or Columbia, sometimes viewed as a
female counterpart to Christopher Columbus. Originally viewed as somewhat of
an Indian princess, she quickly became more European in form, also bearing
resemblance to Greek goddesses, especially when standing or seated.
See below a progression of head (bust) images on coins from the 1793
half-cent to the 1921 "Peace" silver dollar, followed by a seated image and
one standing. For more details, hold your mouse over an image or click
to enlarge.
With great emphasis on Liberty as an ideal and motto by America's ally
France, she would become the model for the Statue of Liberty, a gift from
France unveiled on October 28, 1886. Columbia has not only appeared on
coins. This name was also given to America's first operational space
shuttle. It is the name of an Ivy League university (Columbia U. in New York
City) and of a number of US
cities. The song "Hail Columbia" was composed in 1789 for the inauguration
of George Washington and is still used to introduce the Vice President of
the United States (click
to listen). It often served as the somewhat de facto
national anthem until 1931, because until then the US had no official
national anthem.
Recommended Resources
| Websites | |
| CoinWorld.com article about Lady Liberty | Website |
| University of Virginia article | Website |
| "Hail Columbia" lyrics and music (sound files) | Website |
| LIFE Magazine cover depicting Lady Liberty | Website |
| Books and Other Media | ||||
| The "Red Book" of United States Coins |
Coins Magazine (12 issues) |
The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia |
CoinWorld Magazine (52 issues) |
Hail
Columbia (DVD) Space Shuttle Columbia's maiden voyage |
| Other Sites of Potential Interest (content selected automatically) |
Test Your Knowledge
This test covers the information in this article. Read each question and decide in your head what the answer is. Click the empty cell in the last column to see the correct answer.
| Lady Liberty | What is a common alternative name for Lady Liberty? | Columbia |
| What tune is used to introduce the Vice President of the United States? | Hail Columbia | |
| For what special event in the 1780s was the tune above composed? | Inauguration of George Washington | |
| In what year was the Statue of Liberty unveiled? | 1886 | |
| Which Ivy League university is named after Lady Liberty and where is it located? | Columbia University in New York City | |
| Toward which direction (left or right) is Lady Liberty facing on most US coins which feature her bust (head) on the obverse (front) side? | To the left |
Click Here to go to the "Test Your Knowledge" page covering all articles included in this week's theme on DailyUSHistory.com.
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