117 years ago my grandmother boarded a ship at the age of 4 years old with her mother and her brother from Hamburg, Germany. They were from a tiny place called Trembowla, Galicia, Austria….now a part of the Ukraine. My great grandfather had arrived in this country a few years before.
I can’t imagine what they experienced on the voyage over the North Atlantic Ocean from Europe to America. A trip that at that time took at least 10 days, probably 14 or more. A trip over an ocean that was cruel to even the most modern of vessels. A cruel trip with steerage accommodations to a strange land…a land where the streets were supposed to be paved with gold.
They came because of a DREAM, the dream of FREEDOM. That is what America means for everyone who comes to her shores. America symbolizes Freedom. When they arrived in New York Harbor…they saw the lady with the brightly lit torch….they saw the Statue of Liberty. Liberty Enlightening the World, that is her full name.
One never should take Freedom for granted because it truly is a precious commodity. The statue is what my family and millions of other immigrants coming to this country first saw when their ship rode up into New York Harbor from the Atlantic Ocean. They were in search of a new life, they were in search of freedom. Freedom that is known as America…the United States of America. God Bless America!
Have a great holiday everyone! Be safe and enjoy!
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