The Voice of Liberty

In 1886, the Statue of Liberty came to America.

If Liberty had been a real woman, she would have had no voice in her new country. She could not vote or run for office.

The men in charge of unveiling the statue in New York Harbor even declared that women could not set foot on the island during the welcoming ceremony.

That did not stop New York suffragists Matilda Joslyn Gage, Lillie Devereux Blake, and Katherine (“Katie”) Devereux Blake. They wanted women to have the liberty to vote and participate in government. They were determined to give the new statue a voice. But, first, they had to find a boat.

Matilda, Lillie, and Katie organized hundreds of people and sailed a cattle barge to the front of the day’s ceremony—making news and raising their voices for LIBERTY.

"This inspirational story of three women who refused to take no for answer should clearly resound with today’s climate of protest and the centennial of the 19th Amendment’s ratification."— Publishers Weekly

"When unveiled in New York Harbor in 1886, the statue of a woman became the symbol of American liberty. At the time, real women had few freedoms. . . . This lively account of the events should appeal to readers interested in the Statue of Liberty or women's history. The clipped prose and vigorous efforts of the stalwart women promote fast-paced reading and dramatize some particulars of the momentous celebration. Bold, colorful, energetic illustrations capture time and place well. . . . Extras include facts about these suffragists and Lady Liberty, a timeline, bibliography, author's note, and dialogue sources. A fine tribute as 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment."— Kirkus Reviews

"Carpenter and Fotheringham set the stage for dramatic and interactive read-alouds with the repetition of a phrase of resistance (“Well, not everyone”), sourced dialogue, and well-placed illustrations."— School Library Journal

"An entertaining and informative picture book."— Midwest Book Review

"This is a very clear, straightforward and engaging account of a significant "stunt" in turn-of-the-century women's suffrage; it made the papers then, and it acts as a touchpoint for us today, as we find ways to bring the gradual and rarely satisfying history of women's rights alive for new generations. . . . I particularly like that the story, which is boiled down to the level of a Reading Rainbow-style readalong, is followed by several pages of data about the real historical event, the creation and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty, and the women involved in the story. There are also some excellent resources given for parents and young readers to learn more."— GoodReads

Audiobooks courtesy of the South Dakota Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Created by David Kelleher for use with The Voice of Liberty are three craft project for young and old. Choose your craft below by opening the image in a new tab and downloading. Please note, the Statue of Liberty Cube is for advanced crafters.

Angelica Shirley Carpenter has master’s degrees in education and library science from the University of Illinois. For sixteen years, she served as director of the Palm Springs, Florida, Public library, where she founded BookFest of the Palm Beaches, an annual literary festival. In 2011, she retired from the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at California State University, Fresno. Carpenter currently resides in Fresno, and is active in the International Wizard of Oz Club, the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Carpenter is the author or co-author of four illustrated biographies for young people: Frances Hodgson Burnett: Beyond the Secret Garden (1990), L. Frank Baum: Royal Historian of Oz (1992), Robert Louis Stevenson: Finding Treasure Island (1997), and Lewis Carroll: Through the Looking Glass (2003). She is also the editor of In the Garden: Essays in Honor of Frances Hodgson Burnett .

Carpenter’s next book, The Voice of Liberty , features the woman suffrage movement’s rousing protest of the Statue of Liberty.

Edwin Fotheringham is an award-winning illustrator, whose numerous picture books include The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) , Mermaid Queen , and What to Do about Alice . He graduated from the University of Washington School of Art in Seattle, where he resides with his family. Fotheringham has worked in nearly every publication medium from punk rock record covers to the New Yorker .