I’ve looked at her longingly from the shores in Brooklyn, Battery Park, Jersey City and the decks of the Princess Cruises ships I’ve performed on as we sailed past. I was not prepared for quite how magnificent she is. The icon of our nation, the personification of the freedom and rights for all. How did we fall so far from caring for others as her poetic words cry out. This was a moving day for me and a magical place to visit. Think of how many people entered our nation and saw her light as the original becon of hope.
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Emma Lazarus
November 2, 1883
Emma wrote this poem to help raise money for the construction of the pedestal for the gifted statue to rest upon… it is on a plaque on the pedestal and in the museum. Her words should be burned into the mind of every American citizen.
Yes, we walked all the stairs to up the crown. I made our reservations months ago… they are currently sold out for visits until early December.
This was my first visit to see her up close and in person. I highly recommend making a visit to the Statue
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Origins and Conception
• 1865 – The idea for the statue originated with Édouard René de Laboulaye, a French political thinker and abolitionist, who proposed creating a monument as a gift from France to the United States to celebrate American independence and democracy.
• 1870 – French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi began designing the statue, inspired by Roman goddesses of liberty.
Design and Construction
• 1875 – Bartholdi officially announced the project. The French would build the statue, while Americans would fund and construct its pedestal.
• Gustave Eiffel (later famous for the Eiffel Tower) designed the statue’s internal iron framework to support the copper exterior.
• 1876 – The right arm holding the torch was completed and displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia to raise funds.
• 1877–1884 – The statue was constructed in Paris.
Gift to the United States
• 1884 – The statue was completed in France and officially presented to the U.S. ambassador in Paris.
• 1885 – The statue was disassembled, shipped across the Atlantic in over 200 crates, and arrived in New York Harbor.
• 1886 – The pedestal, largely funded by American donations championed by publisher Joseph Pulitzer, was completed. On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was formally dedicated by President Grover Cleveland.
Symbolism
• The statue, officially titled “Liberty Enlightening the World”, represents freedom and democracy.
• Its torch symbolizes enlightenment, while the broken chains at her feet represent the abolition of oppression.
• The tablet in her left hand is inscribed with “July 4, 1776” (American Independence Day).
Later Developments
• 1903 – Emma Lazarus’s poem The New Colossus, with its famous line “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…,” was added to the pedestal, cementing the statue as a symbol of immigration.
• 1924 – The statue was declared a U.S. National Monument.
• 1933 – Administration of the statue was transferred to the National Park Service.
• 1984–1986 – A major restoration took place for the statue’s centennial, replacing the original torch with a new gold-leaf-covered torch.
• 1986 – The Statue of Liberty’s 100th anniversary was celebrated with massive festivities.
• 2019 – The Statue of Liberty Museum opened, allowing visitors to explore its history and see the original torch.
Today
The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, welcoming millions of visitors each year. It remains a universal symbol of freedom, democracy, and hope for immigrants arriving in the United States
