Barack Obama As Philip Reid
Too few Americans are aware of the life and achievements of Philip Reid, the slave who supervised the bronze casting of the Statue of Freedom atop the dome of the Nation's Capitol. If you are one of those uninformed Americans you can correct this by scrolling down this Blog to and reading the various articles on Philip Reid. After coming up to speed on Philip Reid you may be struct by the parallels between what Philip Reid achieved and what Barack Obama has pulled off in becoming the first Black President of the United States.
Lets take Philip Reid first. He was born to an enslaved African mother and a slaveholding European father, making him a "mulatto" (the term of those time). He was brought to Washington, D.C. by his owner (Clark Mills) who had government contract to cast, in bronze, the plaster model of the Statue of Freedom created by Thomas Crawford. Philip learned his trade by observing the performance of others and knowing that he,too, could be just as effective in casting tasks if given the opportunity. His "opportunity" came when the European hired to supervise the casting of "Freedom" went on strike, demanding higher pay. Instead of giving in to the demand Clark Mills turned the job over to Philip Reid and Philip Reid led his fellow slaves in creating one of America's most significant symbols
Ordinarily there would be no comparison between one man's casting a monument and another elected to the Presidency of the United States. But when you consider that Reid was a slave in the 1850's and Barack is a free man in the Twenty-first Century the relative difficulties of their two tasks are narrowed. Barack was born to a white American mother and an African father, making him "biracial" (the term of these times). Though we have no opinion research from the l850's to compare with today's polls, it would seem safe to say that both Philip Reid and Barack Obama worked toward their respective goals against odds off the charts.
In spite of the odds Philip Reid achieved his goal and PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA can be inspired by Reid's performace each and every time he looks up to the dome of the Capitol
Lets take Philip Reid first. He was born to an enslaved African mother and a slaveholding European father, making him a "mulatto" (the term of those time). He was brought to Washington, D.C. by his owner (Clark Mills) who had government contract to cast, in bronze, the plaster model of the Statue of Freedom created by Thomas Crawford. Philip learned his trade by observing the performance of others and knowing that he,too, could be just as effective in casting tasks if given the opportunity. His "opportunity" came when the European hired to supervise the casting of "Freedom" went on strike, demanding higher pay. Instead of giving in to the demand Clark Mills turned the job over to Philip Reid and Philip Reid led his fellow slaves in creating one of America's most significant symbols
Ordinarily there would be no comparison between one man's casting a monument and another elected to the Presidency of the United States. But when you consider that Reid was a slave in the 1850's and Barack is a free man in the Twenty-first Century the relative difficulties of their two tasks are narrowed. Barack was born to a white American mother and an African father, making him "biracial" (the term of these times). Though we have no opinion research from the l850's to compare with today's polls, it would seem safe to say that both Philip Reid and Barack Obama worked toward their respective goals against odds off the charts.
In spite of the odds Philip Reid achieved his goal and PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA can be inspired by Reid's performace each and every time he looks up to the dome of the Capitol
"The Biography of Philip Reid: Historical Fiction "
By Eugene Walton
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1 Comments:
I found this piece interesting, comparing the challenges of a black slave back in 19th Century to that of a black presidential candidate today in the early 21st Century. While the black slave acheived an extraordinary goal given his limited resources and more limiting freedom, he appeared not to have earned the public respect he deserved. Has it really taken 150 years, for the general public to recognize and perhaps appreciate what another black person is attempting to do?
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Anonymous, at 10:44 AM
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