Statue of Liberty National Monument
The world-famous symbol of freedom and democracy in New York Harbor
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Perhaps the most recognizable woman in the world, the Statue of Liberty has come to symbolize America itself. It has welcomed immigrants, returning citizens and visitors to our shores for over 100 years. While it is no longer possible to go up to the top of the statue, the pedestal, its museum and the island's grounds are among the most popular destinations for visitors to New York.
A gift from the people of France, the statue was given to the United States as a symbol of enduring liberty and union after the turmoil of the Civil War. At the time, France was in the midst of its own revolution, and saw America as a beacon of hope for freedom and democracy. Heralded as the eighth wonder of the world when erected in 1886, "Liberty Enlightening the World" by sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was the tallest structure in the City and the tallest statue in the world. With a "skin" the width of only two pennies, the statue is supported by an extensive steel frame designed by Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame.
The French weren't the only people who dedicated time and money to the construction of the statue. The pedestal was built on top of Fort Wood, which had been part of the inner harbor's defenses dating from the Revolutionary War. An immigrant himself, famed newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer promised to publish the name of any person who contributed to his fundraising effort to pay for the construction of the pedestal -- no matter the size of the donation. His paper, The World, was able to raise over one hundred thousand dollars, mostly in donations of less than a dollar. With this new burst of fundraising, the pedestal was completed in 1885.
The statue's image has been used in many ways over the years -- welcoming immigrants, encouraging support of the armed forces, and even to sell lemons. The statue's museum, located in the pedestal, shows how it was conceived, constructed, and restored, and also allows visitors to see full scale replicas of her face and foot up close.
Etched on a bronze plaque on the inner walls of the statue's pedestal is this famous poem by Emma Lazarus:
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!"
