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BRATTLEBORO — In 1882 Brattleboro-born Richard Morris Hunt was chosen to design a gigantic pedestal to support the Statue of Liberty. The statue was a gift from France to the United States. The enormous copper sculpture was a representation of the Roman goddess “Libertas.” She held a torch high in her right hand to light the way towards liberty. The book in her left hand commemorated the Declaration of Independence with Roman numerals representing July 4, 1776. At her feet, on the pedestal, was a broken shackle and chain to acknowledge the abolition of slavery.

Frederic Bartholdi, the French designer, chose to place the statue on an island in New York City Harbor as a way to honor the U.S. commitment to freedom, and welcome immigrants to the “gateway of America.” For the next 70 years the main port on the United States East Coast welcomed more than 12 million immigrants and the Statue of Liberty became a symbol of freedom to many who traveled here.

In 1882 the United States Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in order to suspend the immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. This Act was signed by Vermont-born President Chester A. Arthur. It was the first United States law to place broad restrictions on immigration. Eventually it was expanded and Chinese residents were required to carry an identification certificate to prove their occupation and residence. San Francisco Bay, in California, became the main deportation site for Chinese immigrants no longer welcomed in the U.S. For the next 60 years the main port on the United States West Coast would deny more than 60,000 potential Chinese immigrants’ entry into the U.S., and deport countless others.

VERMONT FEDERAL JUDGE

Hoyt H. Wheeler was born in Chesterfield, N.H. in 1833. He attended local schools and became a teacher. While teaching, he also read law books and studied with a few Windham County lawyers. He was admitted to the bar in 1859 and began to practice law in Jamaica, Vermont. In 1867 he represented Jamaica in the state Legislature and, during the following two years, served in the state senate.

When Wheeler was 36 years old, he was elected to become a Vermont Supreme Court Judge. In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed him to serve as judge of the United States Federal Court for the District of Vermont. He remained in that role for almost 30 years.

In 1884 Judge Wheeler and his family moved to Brattleboro. Twenty-one years earlier he had married Minnie Maclay. She was the sister of his first business partner’s wife. They had no children, but raised an orphaned nephew, John Knowlton, as their own. The Wheelers would reside on Western Avenue for the rest of their lives.

In 1895 the well-known architect Richard Morris Hunt died. His obituary was published throughout the country and featured his pedestal contribution to the Statue of Liberty. He was an architect for the wealthy of New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. Many articles spoke about his memorable design contributions to the recent World’s Fair and emphasized his positive impact on the artistic aspects of large-scale architecture. His contributions to the Chicago World’s Fair and the Statue of Liberty highlighted his belief in the power of America’s pursuit of freedom and prosperity. Meanwhile, in 1895, the first deportations of Chinese immigrants were reported in local Brattleboro papers.

There was no federal courthouse in Brattleboro. Court was often held in a second-floor office space in the Brooks House. The first deportation ordered from a Brattleboro courtroom occurred in September of 1895. Chinese immigrants who could not provide proper paperwork were detained by police and placed in regional prisons in Newfane, Rutland, St. Albans or Newport. A United States Commissioner would review their cases, and if legal certifications were not presented, they would be given a deportation order. Due process procedures stipulated that they could appeal the Commissioner‘s finding and request a hearing before Judge Wheeler. They had the opportunity to secure a lawyer and present evidence to the judge.

A typical report written in the Reformer went like this, “Judge H.H. Wheeler ordered the deportation of Wong Wun Durk. He was arrested in St. Johnsbury and ordered to be deported by U.S. Commissioner W. D. Crane. Durk was smuggled from Sherbrook, Canada on a train. He was disguised, but a train man noticed and notified Custom Officers. Durk was born in China and had paid $100 for the smuggling. On appeal, Judge Wheeler heard his case at the Brooks House and upheld the decision of the Commissioner.”

Chinese deportation cases continued to be reported in local papers for the next 13 years. During this time, approximately 185 Chinese immigrants from around Vermont were brought before Judge Wheeler. Newspaper accounts state that at least 30 of the men were released after the hearing. Releases were granted when evidence or testimony convinced Judge Wheeler that the defendant had been wrongly accused of living and working in the United States without proper certificates and paperwork. The other 150+ defendants were either deported, or the newspaper did not report on the judge’s ruling.

In 1902, a typical deportation ordered by Judge Wheeler was reported this way, “Captain Ernest Waterman escorted twelve Chinese to San Francisco from Vermont by train. They traveled by way of New Orleans. Waterman stayed in San Francisco for three days, (waiting for the ship to depart) and, came back by way of Chicago. It took Captain Waterman three weeks to make the round trip.”

U.S. immigration restrictions and deportations grew during World War I. The 1921 Emergency Quota Act established restrictions on immigration based upon country of origin and created yearly limits. While this law was designed to deal with increased immigration from war-torn Europe, and thought to be short-lived, it has continued to be the basis for much of U.S. immigration policy to this day.

Back in 1882 the United States embarked on large scale immigration restrictions based upon race. In the same year, the U.S. made final arrangements to create the foundation for the Statue of Liberty. Emma Lazarus composed a poem as part of a fundraiser for the pedestal designed by Brattleboro’s Richard Morris Hunt. You’ve probably heard the famous phrase that greets those who travel to visit the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

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