The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York from France on June 19, 1885. Designed by French sculptor, Frederic Barholdi and constructed by Gustave Eiffel, it was a gift to the United States in honor of the liberty the two countries now had. The statue was shipped disassembled in crates and erected on then Bedloe's Island (now Liberty Island) in the harbor of New York City.

France would provide the statue and the United States was to provide the place for it, but fundraising came slowly for the project in the United States. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer finally began a donation drive and had more than 120,000 contributors, most of them giving less than a dollar. The statue's dedication was marked by New York's first ticker-tape parade. President Grover Cleveland presided over the ceremony.

The copper statue is of a woman wearing a robe and holding a torch above her head. She represents Libertas, the Roman goddess. In her left arm she carries a tablet inscribed with the date, July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue has become a symbol of freedom and welcome. May those values continue to stand.

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