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Abstract
This project represents a historical investigation into the political and cultural origins of America's first and only Goddess, Columbia. The mythical figure was invented by Franklin, Jefferson, Maddison, and Washington among others and was a consideration during the founding of the country based on the fact that the British Colonies were primarily Judeo Christian in belief and thus only held a single male deity as an image and symbol for the nation. Harkening back to Greece and Rome, whose governing principles the founders drew heavily upon, it was thought there would be social, cultural, and political benefits to the creation of a female deity to serve as an emblem for the nation. Thus, Columbia was created, and the district, which was to serve as the seat of the federal government, was named after her. You can find her statue in front of courthouses and atop state capitol buildings to this day. This is a poetic a re-imagining of her story.