The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty. . , More than 125 years ago, the people of France gave the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United Sates in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. The proper name of the Statue is “Liberty Enlightening the World”. Sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Stature was actually completed a decade later. Bartholdi incorporated many symbolic features into the Statue’s final design. There are 25 windows in the crown representing gemstones found on the earth and the heavens’ rays shining all over the world. The seven rays of the Statue’s crown represent the seven seas and the seven continents of the world. The tablet which the Statue holds in her left hand reads (in Roman numerals) “July 4, 1776” the date of American Independence., The total weight of the Statue is more than 300,000 pounds. It was transported from France in many pieces and assembled once it arrived in the United States. The Statue was placed upon a granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood which, like Governors Island’s Castle Williams, was erected for the War of 18 12., In 1982, an $86 million restoration of the Statue began. The newly restored Statue opened to the public on July 5, 1986 during Liberty Weekend, which celebrated her centennial. President Ronald Regan, along side (sic) President Francois Mitterrand, pressed a remote button to relight the Statue’s refurbished torch from Governors Island, near where you now stand., The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable icons in the entire world, symbolizing freedom, democracy and opportunity. Millions of people visit the Statue of Liberty each year.