A 305 ft-tall sculpture looms over the corner of the New York Harbor, inviting in riverboats entering Liberty Island at all four corners. Standing on a 154 ft-tall pedestal, the pale green figure wears a crown with seven spikes, sandals at her feet, and a robe that appears wrinkly. Carrying a tablet in her left hand and a legendary torch in her right hand that symbolizes enlightenment and freedom, America’s Statue of Liberty, or simply Lady Liberty, is a true wonder that reminds us about the shackles of the past that led to our beloved nation’s birth.
Even though the Statue of Liberty is a well-known symbol of liberty in the USA, it actually wasn’t created there. Believe it or not, Lady Liberty was a gift from France! In 1865, a Frenchman, political thinker, and leading expert on the U.S. Constitution named Edouard de Laboulaye suggested that a monument should be shipped from France to the United States in observance of the newborn USA at the time. It would also commemorate their commitment to freedom, democracy, and a close and friendly relationship with France.
However, the creation did not end there. Laboulaye hired French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, who’d visited the Sphinx of Giza and had a huge inspiration for creating historical monuments, to create the statue. Bartholdi had previously dreamed of creating a statue called “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia.” While the monument was too expensive to build, many scholars believe that Lady Liberty was based on the original design.
The construction of the Statue of Liberty had begun. America would build the 154-foot-tall pedestal, and France would build the 151-foot-tall statue known as Lady Liberty today. They wanted to make sure that the statue would be a pillar of peace, celebrating the 100th anniversary of America’s independence. For starters, the tablet held in the left hand of Liberty reads in Roman numerals: July 4th, 1776, the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence that freed our nation from Great Britain. The first name for the historical monolith was Liberty Enlightening the World.
Work had begun as early as 1875. A year later, in 1876, the torch had been completed and went on display in Philadelphia and New York. This helped raise funds to later construct the rest of the monument. Even then, France needed help with the construction, so they found help from an engineer who played a major role in the designing of the Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel, for help. Eiffel joined the project and built the internal structure of Liberty through a series of blueprints that came with the idea of hammering copper sheets over a steel framework.
In 1884, the statue was finally completed after 10 years of patience. Without the pedestal, it weighed over 225 tons! It was shipped to New York City so the pieces could be assembled. The assembly began in April 1886 and was completed on Bedloe’s Island, now called Liberty Island.
However, even approximately 130 years after this event, many people still wonder what the crown on the statue symbolizes. Some say that the seven spikes on Lady Liberty’s crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. What’s even more interesting is that the torch holds a copper flame covered in 24 karat gold.
Many people also overlook the broken shackle and chain that can be seen at the statue’s sandals. This represents freedom and democracy but could also represent justice and the end of slavery in the US. What’s even more wild is that the Statue of Liberty is thought to have been hit by six-hundred lightning bolts each year! That’s bizarre!
Lady Liberty was often the first thing that people coming to America would see as they neared Ellis Island. The Statue faces southeast and was strategically placed in that direction to be a welcoming symbol to immigrants arriving by boat.
From the Lincoln Memorial to Mount Rushmore, absolutely nothing symbolizes our nation’s past better than the 305-foot-tall Statue of Liberty. Standing gallantly on Liberty Island, every part of Liberty’s body is a representation of mercy, justice, equality, freedom, unity, knowledge, enlightenment, and most importantly, liberty. Whether it’s a gift from France or a US monument, it’s a reminder of our cruel past and what our country’s made of.
Even though the Statue of Liberty is a well-known symbol of liberty in the USA, it actually wasn’t created there. Believe it or not, Lady Liberty was a gift from France! In 1865, a Frenchman, political thinker, and leading expert on the U.S. Constitution named Edouard de Laboulaye suggested that a monument should be shipped from France to the United States in observance of the newborn USA at the time. It would also commemorate their commitment to freedom, democracy, and a close and friendly relationship with France.
However, the creation did not end there. Laboulaye hired French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, who’d visited the Sphinx of Giza and had a huge inspiration for creating historical monuments, to create the statue. Bartholdi had previously dreamed of creating a statue called “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia.” While the monument was too expensive to build, many scholars believe that Lady Liberty was based on the original design.
The construction of the Statue of Liberty had begun. America would build the 154-foot-tall pedestal, and France would build the 151-foot-tall statue known as Lady Liberty today. They wanted to make sure that the statue would be a pillar of peace, celebrating the 100th anniversary of America’s independence. For starters, the tablet held in the left hand of Liberty reads in Roman numerals: July 4th, 1776, the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence that freed our nation from Great Britain. The first name for the historical monolith was Liberty Enlightening the World.
Work had begun as early as 1875. A year later, in 1876, the torch had been completed and went on display in Philadelphia and New York. This helped raise funds to later construct the rest of the monument. Even then, France needed help with the construction, so they found help from an engineer who played a major role in the designing of the Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel, for help. Eiffel joined the project and built the internal structure of Liberty through a series of blueprints that came with the idea of hammering copper sheets over a steel framework.
In 1884, the statue was finally completed after 10 years of patience. Without the pedestal, it weighed over 225 tons! It was shipped to New York City so the pieces could be assembled. The assembly began in April 1886 and was completed on Bedloe’s Island, now called Liberty Island.
However, even approximately 130 years after this event, many people still wonder what the crown on the statue symbolizes. Some say that the seven spikes on Lady Liberty’s crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. What’s even more interesting is that the torch holds a copper flame covered in 24 karat gold.
Many people also overlook the broken shackle and chain that can be seen at the statue’s sandals. This represents freedom and democracy but could also represent justice and the end of slavery in the US. What’s even more wild is that the Statue of Liberty is thought to have been hit by six-hundred lightning bolts each year! That’s bizarre!
Lady Liberty was often the first thing that people coming to America would see as they neared Ellis Island. The Statue faces southeast and was strategically placed in that direction to be a welcoming symbol to immigrants arriving by boat.
From the Lincoln Memorial to Mount Rushmore, absolutely nothing symbolizes our nation’s past better than the 305-foot-tall Statue of Liberty. Standing gallantly on Liberty Island, every part of Liberty’s body is a representation of mercy, justice, equality, freedom, unity, knowledge, enlightenment, and most importantly, liberty. Whether it’s a gift from France or a US monument, it’s a reminder of our cruel past and what our country’s made of.
