Lady Liberty

Imagine you’re an immigrant sailing on the Atlantic embarking on a new horizon in a land called America. You see her; she’s robed in a sheet of pure copper, now a light green color, the result of the weathering of her delicate frame. In her right hand a flame torch coated in gold leaf, in her left a tablet, which reads July 4th 1776, the date her country declared its independence. She wears a crown with seven rays, each representing the seven continents. At her feet the broken shackles of oppression and tyranny. Standing over 305 feet, the 225 ton monument sits upon a granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood. There she is, The Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was given to the US by France to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of America’s independence. It was designed by Fredric Auguste Bartholdi; however the secondary skeletal framework was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, most famous for designing the Eiffel Tower. The construction of the monument was a joint effort between the US and France. The US was responsible for building the pedestal, and the French were responsible for the statue. Lack of funds became a problem for both parties, and each held fund raisers to raise money for construction. Joseph Pulitzer, most famous for the Pulitzer Prize, started a harsh criticism campaign and successfully motivated Americans to donate. The Statue of Liberty was completed October 28th, 1886, and now sits in the New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty was designated as a National Monument in 1924. From 1984 to 1986 the site was closed for renovation and, upon reopening, celebrated her centennial. It would later be closed again due the tragic events of 9/11. The Statue of Liberty exhibit, which is located on the second floor in the pedestal of the Statue, opened July 1986. The famous sonnet written by Emma Lazarus in 1883, a bronze plaque located on the inner walls of the pedestal, symbolizes the statue's universal message of hope and freedom for all those seeking liberty around the world.