The Statue of Liberty sits on New York's horizon, an icon that for more than a hundred years has designated liberty and America. Today Lady Freedom stands cool and calm in the Hudson Bay, looking over Manhattan Harbor, but so many years on one might wonder where she came from and why she is here. So as to answer these questions we may delve in the History of the Statue of Liberty.
The Statue of Liberty was first intended as a present to the US citizens from the French. It was to celebrate the hundredth year of the Declaration of Independence. The present also symbolized the comradeship that had developed between the two nations during the Revolutionary War. Even though it was supposed to be finished in 1876, the opening plans did not work out.
The statue itself was commissioned to Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, but the entire process was a joint effort from each side of the pool. Thanks to a deficit in funds from both countries the project was at first delayed. Fundraisers were held to raise the required money in France to insure the statue would rise on the edge of America. Meanwhile on the American side, the famous publisher Joseph Pulitzer pulled out all the stops with his paper "The World" to help the American folk step up to the plate. Eventually the money was raised to construct the pedestal the Statue of Liberty would later stand on. The Statue of Liberty's history was still in progress though, and Lady Liberty herself wasn't finished for another 8 years.
Once the Statue was complete in France in July of 1884, it took just about a complete year to arrive on the shores of Big Apple Harbor. She made her initial debut in June of 1885. She had traveled from France to America in 214 crates holding 350 separate pieces on board the frigate called "Isere." Once the statue had ultimately arrived in N. Y in several pieces it needed to be put together, no simple task for a monument so massive. After the four month process of building the final statue, she was dedicated on October 28, 1886. Although she was supposed to be finished for the year 1876, casting backwards this can be regarded as a minor speed bump in the established history of the Statue of Liberty.
Today people principally flock to New York for Statue of Liberty tours. Even today she's an impressive presense and visitors can be gaze up at the large statue and pedestal, which from the base to the tip of her torch measures 305 feet 6 inches in height. She also weighs a big 225 tons. For people that need to climb and peer out over the huge harbor that so many rejoiced in reaching, the staircase within is 154 steps up to her head.
The Statue of Liberty was first intended as a present to the US citizens from the French. It was to celebrate the hundredth year of the Declaration of Independence. The present also symbolized the comradeship that had developed between the two nations during the Revolutionary War. Even though it was supposed to be finished in 1876, the opening plans did not work out.
The statue itself was commissioned to Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, but the entire process was a joint effort from each side of the pool. Thanks to a deficit in funds from both countries the project was at first delayed. Fundraisers were held to raise the required money in France to insure the statue would rise on the edge of America. Meanwhile on the American side, the famous publisher Joseph Pulitzer pulled out all the stops with his paper "The World" to help the American folk step up to the plate. Eventually the money was raised to construct the pedestal the Statue of Liberty would later stand on. The Statue of Liberty's history was still in progress though, and Lady Liberty herself wasn't finished for another 8 years.
Once the Statue was complete in France in July of 1884, it took just about a complete year to arrive on the shores of Big Apple Harbor. She made her initial debut in June of 1885. She had traveled from France to America in 214 crates holding 350 separate pieces on board the frigate called "Isere." Once the statue had ultimately arrived in N. Y in several pieces it needed to be put together, no simple task for a monument so massive. After the four month process of building the final statue, she was dedicated on October 28, 1886. Although she was supposed to be finished for the year 1876, casting backwards this can be regarded as a minor speed bump in the established history of the Statue of Liberty.
Today people principally flock to New York for Statue of Liberty tours. Even today she's an impressive presense and visitors can be gaze up at the large statue and pedestal, which from the base to the tip of her torch measures 305 feet 6 inches in height. She also weighs a big 225 tons. For people that need to climb and peer out over the huge harbor that so many rejoiced in reaching, the staircase within is 154 steps up to her head.
About the Author:
Jeff Myers has had an interest in tours of new york city for many years. He has written many articles about this subject, including brief histories and the top most fascinating facts. For more info about tours of new york city come visit http://www.nyccitytours.org
