The Statue of Liberty
By Rhianna Johnson
The City that Never Sleeps
Empire State Building
Central Park
Metropolition Museum of Art
Statue of Liberty
Liberty Enlightening the World
Has anyone ever wondered what the Statue of Liberty, also known as Liberty Enlightening the World, looked like, and what the things she's wearing and holding mean? In fact, she was actually a gift from France, given to America in 1886. Her robed figure represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. The torch and the tablet she holds has the date of the American Declaration of Independence inscribed upon it, which is July 4th, 1776. From the ground to the top of her torch, she measures 93 meters and weighs 204 metric tons. Did anyone know that Lady Liberty wears a size 879 shoe and she has a 35-foot waistline? There are also 25 windows in her crown. Did anyone also know that the seven spikes on her crown represent the seven oceans and the seven continents of the world, indicating the universal concept of liberty? Lady Liberty also has an iron infrastructure and copper exterior which has turned green due to oxidation. Although it's a sign of damage, the patina (green coating) also acts as a form of protection from further deterioration.
Has anyone ever wondered who had come up with the idea for the statue and who had come up with the design? Well wonder no more, because Edouard de Laboulaye provided the idea for the statue of Lady Liberty, while Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi designed her. Laboulaye proposed that a great monument should be given as a gift from France to the United States as a celebration of both the union's victory in the American Revolution, and the abolition of slavery. Laboulaye also hoped that the gift of the statue would inspire the French people to fight for their own democracy in the face of a repressive monarchy under Napoleon lll. Did you know that Gustave Eiffel, the man who designed the Eiffel Tower, was also behind the design for Liberty's "spine"; four iron columns supporting a metal framework that holds the copper skin which is a mere 3/32ths of an inch thick.
Now, as for the meaning of the statue....although people cannot see Lady Liberty's feet clearly, she is in fact standing among a broken shackle and chains, with her right foot raised, indicating her moving forward and away from oppression and slavery. Despite the positive meaning of Lady Liberty, African Americans saw the statue as an ironic image of America, professing to be a country of freedom and justice for everyone, regardless of race, despite racism and discrimination continuing to exist. The Statue of Liberty became the symbol of immigration in the second half of the 19th century, as over 9 million immigrant same to the United States, with the statue being the first thing they saw when arriving by boat.
Today, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, the statue was closed for security reasons, with the pedestal reopening in 2004, and the statue in 2009, but only a limited number of visitors are able to go up to the crown. The first ferry departing from the mainland from Jan 5th to Dec 19th is at 9:30 am, the last ferry departing from the mainland is at 3:30 pm, and the closing ferry departing Liberty island is at 5:00 pm. The first ferry departing from the mainland from Dec 20th to Jan 4th is at 8:30 am, the last ferry departing from the mainland is at 3:30 pm, and the closing ferry departing Liberty island is at 5:00 pm. If anyone is thinking about visiting the Statue of Liberty this year, they should consider going to www.statueoflibertytickets.com/ to pick them up.
Statue of Liberty Lightning Strike
Central Park Zoo
Ellis Island
Works Cited
Christie, Sophie. "Statue of Liberty: 50 Fascinating Facts" Travel.com. 04 July 2013, Publ. N.o., 11-17-14
CNN Library. "Statue of Liberty Fast Facts" CNN. Thurs July 24, 2014, Updt. N.o., 11-17-14
"Statue of Liberty" Science Kids. July 24, 2014, Updt. N.o., 11-17-14
"Statue of Liberty" History.com. N.p., N.o., 11-17-14