In charge of the U.S. Capitol’s construction, in 1856 this Secretary of War vetoed an emancipation symbol atop the dome
Tuesday, September 29, 2026’s Final Jeopardy clue came from the category “Pre-Civil War America”: “In charge of the U.S. Capitol’s construction, in 1856 this Secretary of War vetoed an emancipation symbol atop the dome.” The answer is Jefferson Davis, but the clue focuses on a chapter of his life that came before the events for which he is most widely remembered.
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Who Is Jefferson Davis?
The answer is Jefferson Davis, who served as Secretary of War in President Franklin Pierce’s administration. Davis held the position from 1853 until 1857.
At the time, expansion of the U.S. Capitol was underway, including construction of the new dome. The War Department’s responsibilities put Davis in a position to review the proposed statue that would eventually sit at its summit.
Thomas Crawford’s Original Idea
Sculptor Thomas Crawford designed the monumental figure now called the Statue of Freedom. One version of his design placed a liberty cap on the female figure’s head.
That detail was more than decorative. The liberty cap carried a long historical association with people who had been freed from slavery and had become a recognizable symbol of emancipation.
The Symbol Jefferson Davis Rejected
Davis objected to the liberty cap because of that meaning. He maintained that it was not an appropriate symbol for Americans because it represented freedom being bestowed upon someone who had previously lived in bondage.
Crawford subsequently altered the design, replacing the cap with a helmet. That revised version became the basis for the statue familiar today.
How the Finished Statue Looks
The completed Statue of Freedom stands nearly 20 feet tall and occupies the highest point of the Capitol building. The female figure carries a sword and a laurel wreath and stands beside a shield.
Her headgear is an elaborate helmet featuring stars, feathers and an eagle’s head. It is the direct result of the design change referenced in the Final Jeopardy clue.
Davis’ Life Before 1861
The clue offers a reminder that Jefferson Davis spent many years within the United States government before the Civil War. He was a West Point graduate, an Army officer and a veteran of the Mexican-American War.
He also served Mississippi in Congress and later entered Pierce’s Cabinet as Secretary of War. Only afterward did he become president of the Confederate States following Southern secession.
An Additional Connection to Slavery
The statue’s construction contains another important historical detail. Philip Reid, an enslaved craftsman, helped solve the technical challenge of dismantling Crawford’s plaster model so that the enormous figure could be cast in bronze.
Reid was emancipated in Washington, D.C., in 1862. By the time the Statue of Freedom was installed on the Capitol dome in December 1863, he was a free man.
A Symbol Completed During the Civil War
The final statue was installed while the United States was still fighting the Civil War. By then, Davis had left the federal government and was serving as president of the Confederacy.
That timeline gives the earlier dispute over the liberty cap additional historical significance. A design argument from 1856 became connected in retrospect with the much larger national conflict over slavery and emancipation.
Why Jefferson Davis Is the Correct Answer
The clues line up precisely: a Secretary of War, the year 1856, construction of the Capitol and an emancipation symbol proposed for the dome.
Those details identify Jefferson Davis and his objection to Thomas Crawford’s liberty cap, making him the correct response to this Final Jeopardy clue.
