Lady Liberty stands for so much to so many. A gift from the
people of France to the people of the United States of America. She was
designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi but built by Gustave
Eiffel.
Exactly what is the Statue of Liberty? No, I’m not kidding,
do you know what she represents, where she originated from, and why? To start
off with she is a robed female figure which represents the Roman Goddess,
Libertas, the embodiment of liberty. The torch she holds in her left arm, above
her head, is inscribed “July 4, 1776.” I would hope we all know this signifies the
United States Declaration of Independence. She is an icon of freedom and the
United States. At her feet lies a broken chain which symbolizes freedom, the
end of slavery, and democracy, the victory of the Union in the Civil War.
This part of history I remember from my school days. A Frenchman,
Edouard Rene de Laboulaye, who was the president of the French Anti-Slavery
Society, wanted to honor the Union because of the abolition of slavery and its
victory in the Civil War. He wished to honor their achievements of freedom and
democracy so he proposed a gift be built for the United States on behalf of
France. His wish was by calling attention to the achievements in the still
young country of the United States of America, the French people would be inspired
to fight for their own democracy and be rid of a repressive monarchy. This idea
inspired the French sculptor Bartholdi but it still took time getting it going
because he was busy with other projects and money had to be raised to build
such a sculptor and transport it to the United States.
In 1871 after the French-Prussian War, Bartholdi crossed the
Atlantic with a letters of introduction signed by Laboulaye. After having a
look around for the perfect spot of the statue Bartholdi focused on Bedloe’s
Island which is now known as Liberty Island. He loved the fact that the vessels
arriving in New York on a daily basis had to sail past it and that meant it would
be the first thing they saw as the entered the harbor. Since the island was
owned by the United States government he had to visit with then President Ulysses S. Grant who assured him he
could have the site for the statue. Now he had to start with the designs, his
sketches of what he believed the statue should be.
The design took time and Bartholdi made quite a few adjustments.
Slowly the project evolved, after all such a project took time and vision. As
he thought it through Bartholdi decided to put a tablet in Liberty’s left hand
with the inscription of “July IV MDCCLXXVI” associating it with the country’s
Declaration of Independence which began the concept of liberty for the United
States.
Constructed of copper sheets that were heated and then
struck with wooden hammers standing just over 151 feet tall. The choice of
using the copper was the entire statue would be light for its size and easier
to handle.
Laboulaye sought public support and announced the project in
1875 along with the idea of the French-American Union joining in fundraising
for the expenses. There were some French who were in favor of it and others who
were not. It was decided the French would be responsible for the statue while
the United States were responsible for the pedestal she was to be mounted on. Between
the two countries the money needed was raised.
On March 3 1877 President Grant on his last day in office,
signed a joint resolution authorizing the President to accept the statue when
it was presented by France and to select a site for it. The following day
Rutherford B. Hayes was sworn in as President of the United States of America
and he followed through as President Grant had hoped selecting Bedloe’s Island
as the site for the statue just like Bartholdi hoped.
In 1879 Bartholdi obtained the services of designer and
builder Gustave Eiffel as well as his structural engineer, Maurice Koechlin. They
made their changes, worked on improving the structure of the statue to enable
it to move slightly in the winds of the harbor. As he made the changes and
necessary improvements to the statue Eiffel decided to insulate the skin with
asbestos and a shellac to prevent corrosion.
Of course through all this work the fundraising continued
with ups and downs on both sides of the ocean. There were times the committees
involved in getting the project funded and completed feared they would never
see it come to completion due to lack of funds however as well all know that is
not what happened for on June 17, 1885 the French steamer Isere, safely reached the New York harbor with the Statue of
Liberty created on board. It is said some two hundred thousand people lined the
docks along with hundreds of boats to welcome her. However the pedestal was not
completed until April of 1886. Once it was completed they were able to
reassemble the statue and on October 28th, 1886 there was a
dedication ceremony which President Grover Cleveland presided over.
The morning started with a parade held in New York City in
which it is said that anywhere from several hundred thousand people to a
million were present. President Cleveland headed the procession before taking
his position in the reviewing stand to watch the bands and marchers that came
from across America in honor of Our Lady Liberty. The parade route went from
Madison Square, to Battery Park, to the southern tip of Manhattan by way of
Fifth Avenue and Broadway. There was a slight detour and as the parade passed
the New York Stock Exchange the traders threw ticker tape from the windows and
that is how the ticker-tape parade tradition began.
The day continued with President Cleveland going to Bedloe’s
Island for the dedication. Speeches were made by those who were involved in the
planning and executing of getting the project from a vision to a reality
however Bartholdi refused to speak. That night when the torch of the statue was
lit it was barely a glow and hard to see at night. It was supposed to be used
as a light house so it was going to need work to get the light to shine properly
but nothing they did worked.
The statue was quickly becoming a symbol to immigrants as
they entered through New York they saw it as a welcoming sight. They had
feelings of exhilaration on first viewing the Statue of Liberty, many broke
down in tears so happy to be on the shores of the United States of America and
a chance for a better life.
During WWI German saboteurs set off an explosion on the
Black Tom peninsula in Jersey City, New Jersey on July 30, 1916 which is now
Liberty State Park and close to Bedloe’s Island. The Statue of Liberty took a
hit and sustained some minor damage. Mostly the torch bearing right arm was
damaged and she had to be closed for ten days. The repairs cost about $ 100,000.
Since then the torch has been closed to the public for safety reasons.
In 1956 an Act of Congress officially renamed Bedloe’s
Island, Liberty Island which Bartholdi had wanted to do generations ago. In
this act was mentioned the American Museum of Immigration which would be on the
island. Ellis Island was made part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument
by proclamation of President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 but it wasn’t until 1972
under President Richard Nixon did the immigration museum in the statues base,
open.
She has seen many and been put through a lot as she sits
quietly in the harbor watching our ships now able to light the way since July 4th,
1976 when a new lighting system was installed. She has been bombed, taken over
by protestors and demonstrators during the Vietnam War, to publicize Puerto
Rican Independence, to oppose abortion, and a few other reason but still she
stands tall welcoming one and all to our shores.
I remember my grandmother told me as she entered the harbor
she made the sign of the cross and tears rolled down her face at the sight of
the Lady Liberty. My grandfather told me it was a sign of freedom, of a chance
to live a good life, to start over. So many other immigrants from my
neighborhood where I grew up told similar stories of breaking down in tears at
the sight of her standing there and the realization of them now being in the
land of the free and the home of the brave because so many fought for what she
stood for, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That’s what they saw when they she came into
their view and whatever struggles they had to go through to get here legally
was well worth it.
I know on the trips I have taken through the New York Harbor
to see the Statue of Liberty as she came into view my heart filled with pride.
I can feel the excitement and pride my grandparents and neighbors talked about
over the years. To see the name of my grandparents on the wall of honor on
Ellis Island brings tears to my eyes and pride to my heart. They struggled to
come here, they were proud to become American Citizens and it is this pride and
freedom that the Statue of Liberty represents for so many.
I would like to thank all those in the past who had this
vision of Lady Liberty and seeing to it she became a reality. Our symbol of
Freedom and Unity, a symbol we should all take the time to learn about and
remember as she stands there with torch in hand, never letting her arm down,
never letting us down. The Statue of Liberty proudly lights the way.
May God Bless America and all we work so hard to stand for
over the years.
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