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Standing in the middle of the sea, the Statue of Liberty is a 93 metre - tall copper statue; think of it as equivalent to the height of a 22-storey building. The statue is a national treasure of the United States visited by millions every year.

A gift from France

To commemorate the centennial of the United States’ independence and honour France's relationship with the U.S., French jurist Edouard de Laboulaye, in 1865, proposed the idea of presenting a gift from the people of France to the people of the U.S. Laboulaye was touched by the recent abolition of slavery in the U.S., which furthered the ideals of freedom and democracy in which he greatly believed.

Sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, who resonated with Laboulaye, conceptualised a colossal structure that is formally known as Liberty Enlightening the World.

A symbol of liberty and freedom

Several elements of the statue symbolise liberty and freedom. The statue is named after the Roman Goddess Libertas who personifies freedom. The tablet she carries is inscribed with July 4. 1776 in Roman numerals, the day America became a free country. The torch carried by the statue is considered a symbol of enlightenment and lights the way to freedom. As a symbolism of abolition of slavery, Bartholdi has placed a broken shackle at the statue's foot.

The Eiffel connection

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the man who built the Eiffel tower in Paris, France, was closely involved in the building of the statue. He was engaged by Bartholdi to address structural issues associated with designing the statue. Eiffel designed the massive iron pylon and the secondary skeletal framework that allows the statue's copper skin to move independently yet stand upright.

Of seas and continents

The seven spikes radiating from the statue's crown are meant to be a halo, also known as an aureole. The spikes represent the seven seas and the seven continents of the world and emphasise the statue's message of inclusiveness and freedom.

Modelled on a real person

The face of the Statue of Liberty is said to have been modelled on Bartholdi's mother, Charlotte. This was first discovered in 1876, when Bartholdi invited French Senator Jules Bozerian to his box at the opera, where his mother was also present and Bozerian noticed the similarity instantly.

 

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Read up

The World Wide Web has a plethora of information for you to consume. Log onto UNESCO’s website and you will find authentic information about not just physical heritage but also cultural heritage of different countries. You can also visit the local library and find books relating to India’s cultural heritage. Reading up about our country’s vast cultural heritage is the first step towards doing your bit to preserve it.

Talk to your parents

Cultural heritage has evolved over the years and has been passed down through multiple generations. Talk to your parents and elders at home about cultural heritage in general or any specific topic such as an art form that piques your interest. You will get to hear many fascinating stories that they have witnessed and experienced over the years. It also makes for a great bonding time.

Organize discussions

The best way to preserve our cultural heritage is by getting your peers involved. Organise discussions in class or via video calls and talk to your peers about all the interesting information you have gathered about cultural heritage. Encourage them to share stories and the knowledge they possess on the same. Once school reopens, you can request your teachers to organize cultural events that showcase the country’s rich heritage and encourage your classmates to participate in them.

Volunteer

There are various organizations and groups that are doing their best to preserve our cultural heritage. You can volunteer with any of these groups and help spread the word and organize events with them. Sometimes they may even visit remote places to experience the heritage fthat has not yet caught the eye of the mainstream media. Volunteering with them would be an enriching experience.

Get creative

In this era of technology, you can capture people’s attention faster than usual. Take photographs and video of cultural heritage and blog or vlog about it. You don’t have to do it alone. Gather your friends along and get them to take part as well. You can make interesting videos and blogs and share them on social media.

At the local level, you can design pamphlets and brochures and spread the word among your neighbours and the local community.

 

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Follow the rules

Visiting a heritage monument might seem exciting. But many monuments have rules laid out by the organisation in charge of its conservation. These rules could include having to maintain silence at a sacred place, or not touching articles on display. Remember, these rules are made keeping preservation in min So do your best to follow the rules listed and ensure your family and peers follow them as well.

Do not litter

One of the major problems seen many monuments is littering. As the tourist inflow increases, it gets difficult for officials to monitor each and everyone. Many tourists carry food or drinks along and throw away empty packets and bottles around the site. This creates a negative impression about the monument in the eyes of the public. As a responsible citizen, do not litter and discourage your family and friends from doing so. Many monuments have trash cans placed around them. Throw rubbish only into the trash can. And if the dustbin is found to be full or if there isn't one, take the waste back with you and discard it at the nearest dustbin.

Say no to vandalism

Another common problem witnessed at most monuments is vandalism. Vandalism is the action of deliberately damaging public or private property. When you at the walls of some heritage monuments you can find scribbles left by people. In some places, you might even see artefacts broken. Vandalism is a threat to heritage monuments. Refrain from it and talk to others about it as well. Next time you spot someone indulging in the act, inform your parents or the authorities and let them take action.

Volunteer

Many organisations encourage youngsters to volunteer and do their bit for physical heritage. You can volunteer individually or encourage your school to take students to different monuments as an activity and help in their preservation Volunteering can mean serving as a guide, helping people navigate the heritage site, or even helping researchers take notes during their routine checks of the site.

Take photographs and spread the word

One of the best ways to draw attention towards preservation of a heritage site is by spreading the worst. Take photographs of heritage monuments and post them on social media. You could also create brochures and pamphlets and share them with people and make them aware about the rich history of monuments Use technology and social media to your advantage and reach and encourage as many people as you can to volunteer and visit heritage monuments.

 

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Before becoming the 45th president of America, Donald Trump was a real estate mogul and a former reality TV star. In 1980, he opened the Grand Hyatt New York, which made him the city’s best-known developer. Though he was interested in politics and had voiced his opinions many times, it was in 2015 that he announced his candidacy from a Republican ticket.

His victory was remarkable for anyone’s first run. Also, Trump is the oldest ever first term president. Trump is proud about his country; he believes the United States has incredible potential and will go on to exceed even its remarkable achievements of the past. Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Iran nuclear deal.

It was Trump who moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. He also withdrew U.S. troops from northern Syria. He imposed import tariffs which triggered a trade war with China. Trump was criticized by many for his bold moves. For instance, his zero-tolerance policy to prevent illegal migration was criticized by many including the courts of the country. Many of his opinions and comments are also viewed as racist in nature.

Trump’s reaction to Covid-19 was scrutinized by the world. He downplayed the threat of the pandemic and chose to ignore or contradict many recommendations from health officials. In addition to that, Trump promoted false information about unproven treatments and the availability of testing.

Trump refused to admit his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. After a series of failed accusations regarding fraudulence in the election, he eventually acknowledged his defeat.

When Barack Obama made his way to the White House, the country got its first president of African-American origin. Obama is proof of ‘the pursuit of happiness’ that Americans hold close to their heart. He was born in a middle-class family and had only education and hard work to help him. He believed that his life should be in the service of others.

After graduating with a law degree, Obama returned to Chicago to teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago. Obama came to the national spotlight in 2004. He was noted for his well-received keynote address at the July Democratic National Convention and his landslide victory in the election to the Senate in November. He was nominated for the 2008 elections. He won against Hillary Clinton and became the 44th president of America with Joe Biden as vice president.

During Obama’s term in office, the United States’ reputation abroad significantly improved. He enjoyed popularity in the beginning, but was criticized later for the slow pace of the economy and the high unemployment rates. Osama Bin Laden was killed by the U.S. Special Forces in Pakistan during his time as president. Obama’s decision to increase military force in Afghanistan was widely criticized. This was when the situation in Iraq was improving and the target date of ending US combat operations were approaching. He was re-elected in 2013 after defeating Mitt Romney.

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George W. Bush was the 43rd president and the first person since Benjamin Harrison in 1888 to be elected president despite having lost the nationwide popular vote. It was one of the most controversial elections in which Bush won by a narrow margin of Electoral College votes. This happened in 2001.

Bush had a sound background in politics; his father George H.W. Bush had been the 41st president. His grandfather Prescott Bush had been a senator and his brother Jeb was a governor of Florida.

As president, Bush had a successful start. The government had a budget surplus from Clinton’s tenure and Bush got the Congress to reduce taxes. He also passed the No Child Left Behind bill; this bill increased funds for education. However, one of the most tragic events in the history of America also happened when Bush was the president- the 9/11 attack!

The airborne terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre on 11 September, 2001 killed nearly 3000 Americans. The attack was orchestrated by a terrorist organization called Al Qaeda led by Osama Bin Laden. Less than a month after the attacks, Bush sent U.S. troops to Afghanistan, where Bin Laden was thought to be hiding. He later sent forces to Iraq despite opposition from many quarters.

Bush was elected for a second term. The country was in the shackles of the Great Recession in 2007. After finishing his second term, Bush returned to Texas. Decision Points, his memoir was published a year later.

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William J. Clinton, popularly known as Bill Clinton dreamt of becoming a popular musician when he was in high school. He used to play the saxophone as well but fate had something else in store for him- to become the 42nd president of the United States.

As a student, Clinton had an excellent record. He was part of the Boys Nation (an organization imparting civic training) and once got a chance to meet President Kennedy in the White House Rose Garden. This incident changed his life and paved his way to public service. After receiving a law degree, his life in politics began in Arkansas, first as the attorney general and then governor.

Clinton became the president defeating George H.W. Bush. His tenure was considered as a new wave in American political leadership. Clinton presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in the history of America. His budget plan increased taxes on the wealthy and provided tax cuts to high-tech companies to encourage their growth. He wanted to improve the economy and stop the government from spending more than it took in. His plan worked; he was able to create a surplus of money in the federal budget for the first time in thirty years!

Clinton became the first D Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt to be elected to a second full term. During his second term, though he was charged for some unethical behaviour, he was never found guilty. Clinton was the second president to be impeached; it was the result of issues surrounding personal indiscretions with a young woman White House intern. Despite this, Clinton continued to have unprecedented popular approval for his work as president. His autobiography My Life was a best-seller.

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A completely dramatic world awaited George Bush when he became the president of the United States. The Cold War ended after 40 bitter years, the Communist empire broke up, and the Berlin Wall fell. The Soviet Union dissolved and its president Mikhail Gorbachev resigned. The list does not end here.

Bush sent many American soldiers to trouble spots, the most important one being Iraq. The US and UN drove the Iraqi forces away from Kuwait in a well-planned and carefully executed operation called Desert Storm. Bush assembled a multinational force to compel the withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War.

It would not be wrong to say that Bush had a background in politics; his father was a US senator from Connecticut. It was natural for him to join politics. While living in Texas, he was selected as a Congressman. Later, he served as the US representative to the United Nations and China. He also worked as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the nation’s spy organization.

Before becoming the president, Bush served as vice president during Ronald Reagan’s tenure. As president, Bush’s term was remarkable. But Bush was unable to withstand discontent at home despite his international success. America had a faltering economy and violence soared in inner cities. Voters weren’t happy with his handling of the economic problems. Though he contested for the 1992 election, he lost. Two of George H.W. Bush’s sons were elected governors-George W. Bush of Texas in 1994 (who later became the 43rd president) and Jeb Bush of Florida in 1998.

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Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the US. But he was famous even before becoming the president, not as a politician, but as a movie star. Reagan had been a movie and television actor for years and moved to politics much later.

Reagan became the president at the age of 69. In fact, he was the oldest first-term US president. He held this distinction until 2017, when Donald Trump became president at age 70. Reagan is also the only movie actor ever to become president. He was a skilled orator and was known as the Great Communicator.

In 1966, Reagan became the governor of California. In 1980, Reagan won the Republican presidential nomination defeating Jimmy Carter. Reagan’s term in office began with cheerful news about the release of the hostages in Iran. Though all the work for this was done by his predecessor Carter, the incident set a positive tone for his tenure.

Though he was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin 69 days after swearing in, he recovered quickly and resumed duties. This incident increased his popularity; Reagan did not forget to maintain his grace and wit during the dangerous incident. During his tenure, Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, increase employment, and strengthen national defence. He lowered taxes for the wealthy; Reagan thought if the rich spent more money; it would help all levels of the economy.

Reagan was concerned about keeping America safe during the Cold War and spent a lot on weapons. He was elected for a second term. This time, he made efforts to smoothen the relationship with Russia. He left office in January 1989. Reagan disclosed in November 1994 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease earlier that year. He died at home in 2004.

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The 39th president of the United States was honoured with the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. The award recognised his efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and the promotion of economic and social development. The president that we are talking about is Jimmy Carter!

Jimmy Carter was an honest man with a good heart. He believed in making the government more efficient, ending unfair treatment of African Americans, and taking care of the environment. Carter carried out many reforms; he deregulated the trucking and airline industries. His expansion of the national park system included protection of 103 million acres of Alaskan lands.

The energy crisis was a major problem during Carter’s presidency. The oil rich nations in the Middle East raised the oil price and this led to a shortage of gasoline. Though Carter’s Energy Bill helped reduce the shortages, the voters weren’t happy. He therefore established a national energy policy that decontrolled domestic petroleum prices and stimulated production.

There were other serious problems as well. In 1979, Islamist students attacked the U.S. embassy in Iran and took 52 Americans hostage. Carter tried to negotiate their release for well over a year. He also tried a rescue mission, which failed miserably. His lack of success in freeing these hostages was seen as weakness and contributed to him losing the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan.

Even after his tenure, Carter continued with his activism. He established the Carter Centre to promote and expand human rights. He also travelled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, and help in disease prevention and eradication in developing nations.

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‘I assume the presidency under extraordinary circumstances. This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts.’ Gerald R. Ford said these words when he took office in 1974. Ford was the only person ever to hold the top U.S. office without having been chosen by the voters as either president or vice president.

As president, Ford tried to calm down the controversies that changed the political climate of America. He granted a full pardon to Nixon and made a cabinet from scratch. He believed that inflation was the primary threat to the economy, and thought that controlling inflation would help reduce unemployment. To rein in inflation, it was necessary to control the public’s spending. He believed that this shift would bring a better life for all Americans.

In his foreign policy, Ford tried to maintain U.S. power and prestige. Israel and Egypt were at the verge of breaking into a war. Ford helped persuade the two countries to accept an interim truce agreement. He also implemented a new agreement with the Soviet Union regarding nuclear weapons. Though he ran for the presidential election in 1976, he lost.

Ford was a good football player during his youth. He worked as an assistant coach while pursuing a law degree. Before joining politics, he worked in the Navy during the Second World War. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1948 and served in Congress for 25 years. During his time in Congress, he developed a reputation for honesty and openness, qualities which helped him during his tenure as president.

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Lyndon B. Johnson served as vice president when Kennedy was the president. Johnson succeeded him after Kennedy was shot dead. He was sworn in as president two hours after Kennedy died.

Johnson entered politics because he wanted to make the world a better place for those who struggled for a living. He served as a U.S Congressman in the beginning of the Second World War, but had to leave to fight in the war later. Years later, he was chosen as the leader in the Senate. After swearing in as the president, Johnson tried to continue Kennedy’s Policies.

Kennedy had been urging for a new civil rights bill and a tax cut at the time of his death. His War on Poverty programme provided early education for poor Children; the programme helped millions of Americans rise above the poverty line.

Johnson persuaded the Congress to pass Medicare and Medicaid plans. These were aimed at providing health care for the elderly and those who could not afford insurance. The people of America were happy with their president and winning the 1964 election was a cakewalk for Johnson.

During Johnson’s administration, America made significant advancements in the space programmed. However, during his second term, the Vietnam War took place. This war turned out to be Johnson’s downfall. As more and more U.S. soldiers died in the war, Johnson’s popularity began to diminish and protests grew throughout the country. Johnson put his full efforts into gaining a peace settlement, but failed.

He left office while peace talks were going on and died due to heart attack on 22 January, 1973.

Richard Nixon, the 37th president of America is perhaps remembered the most for the Watergate Scandal. The scandal had disastrous consequences and Nixon had to resign from office even after successfully ending American fighting in Vietnam and improving international relations with the U.S.S.R. and China.

The Watergate Scandal was uncovered in 1972, when five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic Party offices in a building called Watergate. It was found that those men worked for a committee set up to support Nixon’s re-election. Nixon and many others who worked for him lied to cover up the break-in. However, Congress accused Nixon of political spying and threatened to impeach him. Nixon chose to resign to avoid impeachment.

Like many other American politicians, Nixon began his career as a lawyer. He served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy during the World War II and was elected to the Congress upon leaving service. Nixon made it to the Senate in 1950. At the age of 39, Eisenhower selected Nixon as his vice president. This happened in 1952.

Nixon lost his first presidential election to Kennedy. However, he was successful in 1968. As president, his significant achievements include revenue sharing, anti-crime laws and a range of environmental programmes. Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon when Nixon was president and it was one of the most significant events during his term.

In the 1972 elections, Nixon defeated Democratic candidate George McGovern by one of the widest margins on record, after which the Watergate scandal shook the country. Nixon tried to overcome his bad reputation in his final years. He gained praise as an elder statesman and wrote a lot about his public life and foreign policy.

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John F. Kennedy remained president for hardly a thousand days. He was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas, thus becoming the youngest president to die in office. Popularly known as JFK, Kennedy came from a politically active family. It was his father’s wish to make one of his sons the president and John was the one who fulfilled it.

Before joining politics, JFK served in the Navy. He fought the Japanese and was fatally wounded. After recovering, he became a Democratic Congressman from Boston. He later made it to the Senate. It was in 1960 that he ran for the presidential elections against Richard Nixon. Theirs was the first ever presidential debate that was broadcast on television.

Kennedy pledged during his campaign to get America moving again and he tried to fulfill his pledge. After becoming president, he launched a series of economic programmes; those were by far the best and sustainable plans implemented in the country after the Second World War. His vision of America extended to the field of national culture as well. He believed that arts had a central role to play in a vital society. He also called for a new civil rights legislation. The Peace Corps was created by Kennedy to help people in poor nations improve their lives. Kennedy gave a push to the U.S. space program as well.

Things were not always smooth for Kennedy. It was his administration that planned the invasion of Cuba in 1962. What followed is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis that nearly resulted in the breakout of a global thermonuclear conflict.

On November 22, 1963 Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline were riding in an open car as part of a motorcade in Dallas. Suddenly Kennedy was shot; he was rushed to the hospital but died. Kennedy had inspired many Americans and when he was killed the nation was deeply upset. The magical time Americans had called ‘Camelot’ came to a sudden end.

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Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th president of the U.S. He was a highly decorated General in the U.S. army and was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. He contested the elections in 1952 under the banner of the Republicans and won a sweeping victory.

As president, Eisenhower was a moderate conservative and continued the New Deal policies. On the external front, he secured a truce in Korea and worked incessantly during his two terms to ease the tensions of the Cold War; the signing of the truce brought peace along the border of South Korea.

Eisenhower continued Truman’s legacy and tried to improve the social and economic conditions in the country. In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation between blacks and whites in schools was illegal. This verdict was indeed a landmark in the history of America.

During his second term, Eisenhower even sent police to offer protection to the African-American children entering the schools. With popular support, he was elected for the second term in 1956.

Though he was a military man and recognized the necessity of maintaining adequate military strength, Eisenhower also warned that huge military expenditure could be detrimental to the economy.

After his retirement, he was sick for a prolonged period of time. He eventually succumbed to the illness and died on March 28, 1969.

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