The statue of liberty
is set in the harbor of New York, the USA. It was designed by the French
sculptor Frederic Bartholdi and was given by France
to the United States.
This was given with a view to commemorating the centennial of US Independence
in 1876. The statue in the form of a women holds aloft in her right hand a
torch and in her left hand a book inscribed “July 4, 1776.” Is the symbol of
liberty that had been gained overthrowing tyranny by tearing chains lying at
her feet. Now this statue is evermore fountain of inspiration for the people to
fight tyrannical rule if and when such occasion appears in any country or
state. Moreover it is a gesture of international friendship and a global symbol
of freedom. The statue is the largest one in the world having the highest
tallness of the figure 46.4m (152ft 2 in) of all the other heights of its
different parts. It is made of copper sheets riveted of an iron frame work.
The story of the
Statue of Liberty
The Statue
of Liberty National Monument officially celebrated her 100th birthday on
October 28, 1986. The people of France
gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred
years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American
Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty's symbolism has grown to
include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship.
Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was
commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion,
to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The
Statue was a joint effort between America
and France and it was agreed
upon that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people
were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States. However, lack of
funds was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
In France,
public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the
methods used to raise funds. In the United States, benefit theatrical
events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights assisted in providing needed
funds.
Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi required the
assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated with
designing such a colossal copper sculpture. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer
of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the
massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue's
copper skin to move independently yet stand upright. Back in America, fund raising for the
pedestal was going particularly slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer (noted for the
Pulitzer Prize) opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, "The
World" to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer used his newspaper to
criticize both the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and
the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the
funds. Pulitzer's campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating the
people of America
to donate.
Financing for the pedestal was completed in August
1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was
completed in France in July,
1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate
"Isere" which transported the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the
Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The
Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October
28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands
of spectators. She was a centennial gift ten years late.
The story of the Statue of Liberty and her island
has been one of change. The Statue was placed upon a granite pedestal inside
the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood
(which had been completed for the War of 1812.) The United States Lighthouse
Board had responsibility for the operation of the Statue of Liberty until 1901.
After 1901, the care and operation of the Statue was placed under the War
Department. A Presidential Proclamation declared Fort
Wood (and the Statue of Liberty within
it) a National Monument on October 15th, 1924 and the monument's boundary was
set at the outer edge of Fort
Wood. In 1933, the care
and administration of the National Monument was transferred to the National
Park Service. On September 7, 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all
of Bedloe's Island and in 1956, the island's name was changed to Liberty Island. On May 11, 1965, Ellis
Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and
became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. In May of 1982,
President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to head up a private sector
effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. Fundraising began for the $87 million
restoration under a public/private partnership between the National Park
Service and The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., to date the
most successful public-private partnership in American history. In 1984, at the
start of the Statue's restoration, the United Nations designated the Statue of
Liberty as a World Heritage Site. On July 5, 1986 the newly restored Statue
re-opened to the public during Liberty Weekend, which celebrated her
centennial.
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