The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous monuments in the world and it is a very popular attraction.

It is located at the entrance to New York Harbor on Liberty Island, and it has greeted many people coming to the United States. It stands today as a symbol for many things, including freedom and hope.

In 1865, a group of Frenchmen came up with the idea of building the Statue of Liberty and giving it to the United States as a gift. The United States was a new country with a democratic government for the people and by the people. At this time, the French were ruled by an emperor and they looked to the United States for inspiration.

The statue was meant to celebrate democracy, but at the same time, it was meant to celebrate the friendship between France and The United States, a friendship that was formed during the American Revolutionary war.

The American Revolutionary war was fought between 1775 and 1783. The United States was ruled by England before this time. The war happened because the people of the United States realized that they were not being treated fairly.

During the war, the French government gave the United States French soldiers, generals and lots of money. The English had many advantages in the war, but in the end, the United States won its independence.

A French sculptor named Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue. The official name given to it was "The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World."

Building the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty took nine years to build.

The final construction was done by both French and United States workers. It was completed in France in July of 1884 and was then shipped to New York. The shipping process was difficult because the statue had to come in individual parts. The monument finally went up on October 28 of 1886.

The entire monument, including the base on which the statue stands, is 305 feet tall. It is as big as a 22-story building. The statue, Lady Liberty, is made of copper that is as thick as two pennies.

At first, Lady Liberty was actually the same brown color of pennies, but the statue became blue-green over the years because of oxidation caused by the sea water.

The inside of Lady Liberty is made of iron and steel. The French architect who designed the inside was Gustave Eiffel. He later went on to build the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Statue of Liberty Welcomes Immigrants

Between 1886 and 1924, 14 million immigrants came to the United States through New York. Lady Liberty holding her torch high in the sky welcomed these new immigrants.

Most immigrants have come to the United States because their countries do not offer the opportunities the United States offer. The Statue symbolizes a new beginning.

A poem called "The New Colossus" written by Emma Lazarus was placed on the base of the statue in 1903. The most famous line of the poem is "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

Statue of Liberty Fun Facts

• Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's mother was the model for the look of Lady Liberty
• The statue's 350 individual pieces were placed inside 214 crates for the boat ride from France to New York.
• The Statue of Liberty is the tallest statue in the United States.
• Visitors of the Statue of Liberty have to climb 354 stairs to get to the crown.
• There are 25 windows in Lady Liberty's crown. The seven spikes on the crown represent the seven continents of the world.
• The statue weighs 450,000 pounds.
• The statue sways side to side thee inches when it is windy.