The Discovery of America (sculpture)

The first proposal for the construction of two sculptures to flank the Capitol's main staircase was submitted by Pennsylvania senator James Buchanan in April, 1836. The Discovery of America was commissioned on April 3, 1837, when President Martin Van Buren sanctioned the engineering of Luigi Persico’s design for the sculptural group. It was exhibited at the Capitol's east façade from 1844 until 1958, when it was removed. Various Indian groups wrote letters to the Architect of the Capitol calling for The Discovery of America and its pendant, The Rescue (by Horatio Greenough), to be removed permanently. Even beyond Native Americans, statements made by many Congress members indicated their opposition to the statues. After years of protest, in 1958 both The Discovery of America and The Rescue were removed from the east façade in preparation for the building's extension. These two statues were placed in storage and — without public discussion — never restored to their original positions on the left and right side of the building's primary staircase. ==Description==

's 1861 inauguration. There is a simultaneous movement of Columbus pressing on to conquer the New World he discovered with a powerful disposition, as the female Indian stands back, intimidated in response. == Political context ==

The Discovery of America, as well as other charged artworks commissioned to adorn the Capitol building, contributed to the iconography which informed westward expansion. Many works of art created for the Capitol building were even used by congressmen to support political movements west, due to their underlying symbolism related to Manifest Destiny – specifically the inherent Anglo-American supremacy over native Indians. ==Fate==

During the process to move The Discovery of America and The Rescue to storage, a crane dropped The Rescue. The statue broke into the fragments in which it now subsists. The Discovery of America is said to be in a similarly poor state of preservation. Both statues can now be found in a storage facility in Maryland, owned by the Smithsonian Institution. ==See also==