<P> The Statue of Freedom , also known as Armed Freedom or simply Freedom , is a bronze statue designed by Thomas Crawford ( 1814 -- 1857 ) that , since 1863 , has crowned the dome of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington , D.C. Originally named Freedom Triumphant in War and Peace , a U.S. government publication now states that the statue `` is officially known as the Statue of Freedom '' . The statue depicts a female figure bearing a military helmet and holding a sheathed sword in her right hand and a laurel wreath and shield in her left . </P>
what is on top of us capitol building
The Statue of Freedom , also known as Armed Freedom or simply Freedom