The Statue Of Liberty

She stands for liberty and freedom while the torch symbolizes enlightenment. The Statue of Liberty is proof that countries across the world can and do build strong friendships during difficult times. The United States and France built a bond, and France recognized that friendship by giving a gift to the U.S. That gift came in the form of the Statue of Liberty. Lady Liberty stands in the courtyard of Fort Wood at the entrance to New York City harbor.

Edouard de Laboulaye wanted his country to have the independence that the U.S. had. He thought his gift would send a message. He chose an artist named Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi to design the statue and Bartholdi picked an engineer to build the skeleton. The engineers name was, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (hence, Eiffel Tower fame).

The overall construction of the Statue of Liberty was a joint effort of the U.S. and France. The U.S. was in charge of building the pedestal that it would stand on. The French were responsible for the rest. The statue was completed in 1884, at which point it would be disassembled and readied to be shipped to the United States. In June of 1885, the statue arrived in New York. In October of the same year, the project was completed. It's dedication took place one year later in October of 1886.

After September 11, 2001, Liberty Island was to be closed for 100 days. However, the Statue of Liberty was closed for almost three years. The Statue of Liberty was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1984 by the United Nations. It is still a magnificent site to see.