Liberty Enlightening the World, 1886

The Statue of Liberty, also called Liberty Enlightening the World, is resting on twelve acres of island, called Liberty Island, off the coast of New Jersey.  She was given to the United States as a gift from France back in the 1800s, and was finally finished on October 28, 1886.  In 1924 she was designated as a National Monument, and then restored for her 100 year anniversary on July 4, 1986.

There were three men primarily responsible for the design and construction of the statue.  Frederic Auguste Bartholdi sculpted it, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) engineered the structure from the inside, and Eugene Viollete-le-Duc chose the use of copper and the repouse technique.  Without these three men, and the ideas they had, the Statue of Liberty may have fallen many years ago.

When designing the Statue of Liberty, a lot of thought went into what she was going to stand for.  The U.S. had just become independent, and so it was decided that she would symbolize the freedom from oppression and tyranny.  Her crown represents the Seven seas and Seven continents, her torch enlightenment, and the tablet she carries shows the date of her nation's birth, July 4, 1776.

From miles away the great statue looks small and meek.  As you draw closer to her, the 305 foot tall Liberty seems to grow before your eyes.  Just the granite pedestal she stands on is 89 feet high.  Her total weight is 450,000 pounds, with 250,000 of it being steel and 60,000 of it being copper.  To many she represents the strength and freedom of all who have come to, and those who have yet to make it, to this great country we call the United States.