The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World" was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island, a federally owned island in Upper New York Bay in the United States. Long known as Bedloe's Island, it was renamed by an act of the United States Congress in 1956.
The Statue of Liberty is a gigantic neoclassical sculpture that welcomed immigrants to the New York harbour, and is symbolic for the populating of the United States in the second half of the 19th century.
It was a gift from France on the centenary of American independence in 1886. The piece was constructed in the studios of Bartholdi, Paris (a symbolic conception in Europe). Gustave Eiffel, he built the Eiffel tower in Paris, constructed its metallic skeleton. In 1886 it was officially inaugurated.
It was designated as a National Monument in 1924. Employees of the National Park Service have been caring for the colossal copper statue since 1933. It has become an American symbol of freedom and welcome to the immigrants who come to the United States looking for a better life.
Without its pedestal it's as tall as a 15-story building, 151 feet. It consists of 21 tons of copper, 125 tons of steel, and a concrete foundation that weighs 54,000,000 lbs. The thickness of copper sheeting is: 3/32 in. or the thickness of two pennies placed together. The statue does sway in the wind, a 50 mph winds cause the Statue to sway up to 3 inches and the torch up to 6 inches. |