NARRATOR— In the early 1800s, a congregation of Protestants gazed up at this soaring gold eagle in a church in Philadelphia. As you look at it today, you may want to move away from the doors as many visitors pass through them. Artist William Rush carved the commanding bird from pine for the church, which was dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. There, the eagle hovered over the pulpit—a symbol of John, the church’s patron saint. Like many of the first sculptors in America, Rush came out of an artisan, or craftsman tradition. He began his career as a carver of ship figureheads, working primarily with wood. But using wood for this massive eagle required additional structural support. An iron rod runs through the bird’s body, extending from the tail to the tip of the painted red tongue. Another supports the bird’s extraordinary 6-foot wingspan. With its multiple layers of gilding, or gold, one can imagine what a commanding presence it must have had as it gleamed in the dark, candle-lit church. But after a few decades, Rush’s eagle was relocated to Philadelphia’s Independence Hall…placed in the very room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. This new home and context transformed the eagle’s symbolic connotations. The religious icon suddenly became a national symbol—the bird chosen by our Founding Fathers to be an emblem of the nation and a proud assertion of American strength and freedom.