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Statue Of Liberty

The Growing Gift to the World
In the Mouth of the Hudson River, a woman stands as a beacon of freedom, and democracy. The Statue of Liberty is one of the United States’ most beloved and recognizable symbols around the world. The statue was a gift from the people of France to the United States on October 28, 1886 in recognition of the friendship the two countries had together during the American Revolution. 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 and the enormity of the project, prevented the statue from being completed until ten years after centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The United States completed financing for the pedestal in August 1885, and construction finished in April of 1886. The Statue itself was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate "Isere". While traversing the Atlantic Ocean, the Statue was broken down into 350 pieces and placed into over 200 crates. The Statue was then re-assembled on her pedestal. On October 28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators. The gift from France was not intended to be the symbol of freedom and democracy as it has become today. Over the course of one hundred years, the Statue has evolved to become what it is today. The original purpose of the Statue of Liberty has changed from it conception to become the symbol of freedom and democracy that it is today. It was become of its appearance, , the effort it took to be created, the stories of immigrants and the role it had in the...