New York’s ‘Path of Liberty’ Celebrates America’s Independence on the Streets Where It Was Won

The “Path to Liberty: That Which Unites US” exhibit at Manhattan is celebrating military service on Independence Day. Looking forward to next year’s 250th anniversary, the public art installation is breathing the Spirit of ’76 into the nation today, saluting links in a chain extending back to the Revolutionary War.Americans can walk the Path of Liberty through several acres at Freedom Plaza on the East River. Forty-one 20-foot-tall “interactive screens showcasing striking photography and short films” give, according to organizers, “an intimate look at what it means to be American.”July 4 “begins a historic journey toward America’s 250th birthday,” an Army veteran and chief executive of Soloviev Group, Michael Hershman, says in comments provided to the Sun. Path of Liberty, he adds, gives “neighbors, veterans, and visitors” a chance to “reflect on our shared values and honor” those who “shape our country.”A depiction of the Battle of Long Island at Brooklyn, on August 27, 1776, by Domenick D’Andrea. National Guard via Wikimedia CommonsThe Soloviev Foundation sponsored Path of Liberty to strengthen the ties that bind the several states and 340 million people into a single union. On Friday, they’re hosting a free, catered event for active, off-duty, and retired military members and their families as the Macy’s fireworks light up the skyline. Tickets are available at PathOfLibertyNYC.com.More than 200,000 active-duty military personnel are stationed overseas, choosing service to America over time with family. Those who’ve lost their lives are, of course, forever absent from beach blankets and barbecues, joining the long roll of martyred patriots dating back to fights like the Battle of Brooklyn on August 22, 1776. On that humid summer morning, New Yorkers startled at the booming of cannons across the East River in the Revolutionary War’s largest engagement. The Continentals were beaten but not defeated. Their miraculous escape to Manhattan, thanks to a fog most attributed to divine intervention, preserved the patriot cause.‘Washington’s Retreat at Long Island,’ 1776, depicted in an engraving credited to Henry Bryan Hall, John Sartain, and James Smillie. NYPL via Wikimedia CommonsFive days later, more than 32,000 Red Coats arrived at Kips Bay and drove the colonials north through Manhattan’s wilderness. But the dejected Washington gained tactical insight from the humiliating rout. The key to victory wasn’t taking and holding territory as it would be in Europe. It was keeping his army intact.Walking the Path of Liberty today, it’s possible to imagine hearing British buglers blowing the fox hunting call to taunt Washington. Called “View Hallo,” the song signified that the animal was fleeing in panic. Full of that arrogance, the Red Coats advanced on the rebels at Harlem Heights, getting too far ahead of support.Washington ordered a flanking maneuver and outfoxed the British, buying time to get his 9,000 men to safety in New Jersey without a single loss. The daring feat shocked the world, informing it that Americans wouldn’t be easy prey for tyrants. Washington was creating an ideal of fighting for liberty even against hopeless odds.An FDNY veteran, Lieutenant Mickey Kross, is one of the 55 modern Americans illustrating the “shared principles of liberty, equality, and perseverance” on the Path of Liberty. Trapped when the North Tower collapsed on 9/11, he sheltered under his helmet for almost three hours. He was rescued and began helping at Ground Zero.Lieutenant Mickey Kross at the September 11 memorial site. Courtesy the Soloviev FoundationGrowing up in New York was “just exciting,” Mr. Kross said in remarks provided to the Sun. In the FDNY, he says he was “part of making the city function, and I loved it.” His helmet is displayed at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a battered embodiment of the American spirit.“It’s not often easy,” the author of “Carrying Independence: A Founding Documents Novel,” Karen A. Chase, tells the Sun, “to walk the same route as long-ago patriots or show the breadth of stories or voices that supported our ongoing cause of freedom.” She praised Path of Liberty as “storytelling that encompasses a diverse view of how we’ve come to be in this moment.”Military families who attend Friday’s celebration at Freedom Plaza, like anyone who visits the Path of Liberty, are carrying forward the footsteps of patriots. It’s a journey that began with retreats but led to American footprints on the moon — a 250-year legacy of tragedy and triumph that invites everyone to join the march to a more perfect union.

New York’s ‘Path of Liberty’ Celebrates America’s Independence on the Streets Where It Was Won

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