On December 2, 1863, a bronze statue was placed atop the dome of the United States Capitol. Standing more than 19 feet tall, the figure called “Freedom” was designed and created during a period of great turmoil in American history. But at one point during its creation, it wasn’t clear the statue would even get to its final destination. One man, in particular, played an important role in seeing the statue through to completion. His name was Philip Reid. Born into slavery, Reid grew up on a South Carolina farm, helping various craftsmen such as the blacksmith and the potter. Eventually, he was sold to a man named Clark Mills, who opened a foundry in Washington, D.C. Mills’s foundry was contracted to cast the Freedom statue, but the project was jeopardized when a seemingly unsolvable puzzle arose. And it was Philip Reid who stepped in to solve it.

Author: Steven Sellers Lapham
Steven Sellers Lapham grew up in Rochester, New York, and earned a BA in psychology from the University of Rochester and a master’s degree in social science from Syracuse University. He is an editor at National Council for the Social Studies, where he edits the online Middle Level Learning, among other publications. He lives in Maryland with his wife and daughter.

Author: Eugene Walton
Dr. Walton served as Coordinator of Affirmative Action at the Library of Congress from 1973 to 1986. He has written articles for the Negro Digest and his books for adults include The Biography of Philip Reid: Historical Fiction and African Immigrants and African Americans: Community or Conflict? Following his military service in the U. S. Air Force, he was awarded a Naval Graduate Fellowship. He used this award to attend the University of Southern California, where he earned a doctorate in public administration. Soon after Dr. Walton joined the U.S. Information Agency and was assigned as Research Officer/West Africa and posted to Lagos, Nigeria from 1963 to 1965.

Illustrator: R Gregory Christie
R. Gregory Christie currently works as an illustrator and owns and operates Gas Art Gifts, a bookstore and art studio in Decatur, Georgia. He is a two time recipient of the New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year Award, the Boston Globe’s Horn Book Award, The NAACP’s Image Award, Once Upon a World Children’s Book Award from the Museum of Tolerance, and a three time winner of the Coretta Scott King Honor Award in Illustration. Gregory has been illustrating for more than 17 years with more than 40 books to his credit. He also enjoys teaching young people about art and literacy.