History of the statue of liberty which was built in the september 1875
Located in New
York City, the monument consists of two small islands, Liberty Island and Ellis
Island, which lie in Upper New York Bay. The Statue of Liberty is located on
Liberty Island. Ellis Island was once the location where most immigrants
entered the United States.
Statue of
Liberty
The Statue of
Liberty, a symbol of freedom for many, was one of the first sights to welcome
immigrants arriving in the United States. The statue stands 93 m (305 ft) tall
on Liberty Island in New York Harbour. It was designed by French sculptor
Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and is a gift from France commemorating the first
centennial of U.S. independence from Britain.
The Statue of
Liberty is a monumental sculpture that symbolizes freedom throughout the world.
Its formal name is Liberty Enlightening the World. The statue depicts a woman
escaping the chains of tyranny, which lie at her feet. Her right hand holds high
up a burning torch that represents liberty. Her left hand holds a tablet
inscribed with the date “July 4, 1776” (in Roman numerals), the day the United
States declared its independence. She is wearing flowing robes and the seven
rays of her spiked crown symbolize the seven seas and continents.
The Statue of
Liberty is 46 m (151 ft) high. Its base and pedestal increase the height of the
monument to 93 m (305 ft). The surface of the statue is composed of hammered
copper sheets 2.4 mm (0.09 in) thick that are riveted to an iron framework. The
iron frame was devised by French engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, who also
built the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The statue rests upon a concrete-and-granite
pedestal designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. A star-shaped wall
surrounds the 47-m (154-ft) pedestal. This wall was part of Fort Wood, which
was built in the early 19th century to defend New York during the War of 1812
(1812-1815).
Dedicating the
Statue of Liberty
On October 28,
1886, United States president Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty,
which was then called Liberty Enlightening the World, in a ceremony in New York
Harbor.
The Statue of
Liberty commemorates the alliance between France and the United States during
the American Revolution (1775-1783). It was designed by French sculptor
Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and completed in July 1884. The French people
donated the money for the statue. The United States built the pedestal with
funds raised by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer. The statue was first
exhibited in Paris, then dismantled and shipped to New York, and reassembled at
its present location. It was formally dedicated by U.S. president Grover
Cleveland on Oct. 28, 1886. The Statue of Liberty soon became an international
symbol of freedom. It greeted thousands of immigrants and visitors as they
entered New York Bay and arrived in the United States. In 1903 the sonnet “The
New Colossus” by American poet Emma Lazarus was inscribed in bronze at the base
of the statue. It reads:
Not like the
brazen giant of Greek fame,
With
conquering limbs astride from land to land:
Here at our
sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman
with a torch, whose flame
Is the
imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of
Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows
world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The
air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient
lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent
lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled
masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched
refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these,
the homeless, tempest-tost, to me,
I lift my lamp
beside the golden door!”
Celebrating
Lady Liberty
Designed by
sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and presented to the United States by the
citizens of France, the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor was dedicated on
October 28, 1886. Since then she has served as a national monument and a
powerful symbol of freedom for millions of immigrants seeking new opportunities
on American shores. In this Collier’s Year Book article, editor and author
Geoffrey M. Horn reflected on the statue’s history and its enduring appeal on
the occasion of its 100th anniversary.
To prepare for
the statue’s centennial year in 1986, a French-American rehabilitation project
repaired and cleaned the statue, replacing its glass-and-metal torch with one
covered in gold leaf.
Ferries from
Battery Park in New York City take visitors to Liberty Island. Visitors ride an
elevator or climb 192 steps to an observation area at the top of the pedestal.
A museum inside the pedestal details the history of the monument and features
the original torch and flame. The full climb of 354 steps (the equivalent of a
22-floor building) takes the most ambitious visitors from the pedestal to the
crown, which offers outstanding views of New York Harbor and New York City.
Ellis Island
National Monument
Ellis Island
National Monument, located in upper New York Bay near Manhattan, was made part
of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965. Ellis Island is best known
for the immigrant station located there between 1892 and 1954. An estimated 12
million immigrants passed through the station.
Ellis Island
was the gateway to the United States for about 12 million immigrants between
1892 and 1954. It became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in
1965. From 1984 to 1990 the main building for processing immigrants was restored
as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. The museum features three floors of
exhibits, a research library, and an ongoing oral history project that records
and preserves the story of immigration in the United States. In 1984 the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designated the Statue
of Liberty National Monument a World Heritage Site and recognized it as a
unique cultural site. Administered by the National Park Service. Area, 24
hectares (58 acres).
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