Before Lady Liberty
Before America had Lady Liberty, we had Lady Columbia.
Long before the Statue of Liberty became one of the most recognizable symbols of America, Columbia stood as the female personification of the nation. She appeared in art, songs, poems, newspapers, cartoons, and public imagination as a symbol of the young republic — brave, noble, free, and still becoming what it was meant to be.
Columbia represented the spirit of America before America had fully defined itself. She was liberty, courage, hope, sacrifice, and national identity wrapped into one figure.
One of the most famous tributes to her came in the patriotic song and poem “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean.” First copyrighted in 1843 under the name David T. Shaw, its authorship has long been debated, with Thomas à Becket also claiming that he rewrote or created the lyrics. But whoever held the pen, the words captured something powerful:
“O Columbia, the gem of the ocean,
The home of the brave and the free…”
That image — America as a great land worth honoring, defending, exploring, and celebrating — is exactly what Freedom Ride 250 is about.
So I’ve used those lyrics as inspiration to create a new song.
Why?
Because I want to find any and every way I can to showcase and celebrate America — this great land, its stories, its people, its history, its beauty, and the spirit that still rides through it.
Freedom Ride 250
America’s Story. One Mile at a Time