liberty Publique Deposited
1. Legal status of anyone either born outside of slavery or lucky enough to avoid being captured for sale or taken prisoner of war. 2. Legal status of one who had been released from slavery or prison by any method except escape. 3. Either of these personified as a goddess. 4. 18th-century buzzword for economic autonomy: legal entitlement to buy and sell produce and other commodities without official interference. 5. Any of the female personifications on U.S. coins. 6. Paradoxically, any of the presidential heads on U.S. coins is legally an "impression emblematic of liberty" (Act of April 2, 1792; 31 U.S.C. 324, Sect. 3517) despite George Washington's objection to coin portraiture as "monarchical."
- Breen Encyclopedia