The Statue of Liberty: For 130 Years, She Has Welcomed Immigrants To The Shores of the United States Of America

I would be remiss if I were to let 2016 close out without acknowledging the 130th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty being gifted to the United States by France in late 1886. I have only seen the Statue of Liberty from the air a few times over the decades while flying into, or departing from, the New York City-area airports: Kennedy, La Guardia, and Newark (NJ). Still, it is a sight to behold, even from that distance.

The Statue of Liberty was a joint effort between France and the United States, intended to commemorate the lasting friendship between the peoples of the two nations. The French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi created the statue itself (see patent below) out of sheets of hammered copper.

To create the skeleton on which the skin would be assembled, he called on Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, designer of Paris’ Eiffel Tower. Along with Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, Eiffel built a skeleton out of iron pylon and steel that allowed the copper skin to move independently, a necessary condition for the strong winds it would endure in the chosen location of New York Harbor.

Due to the need to raise funds for the statue, work on the sculpture did not begin until 1875. Bartholdi’s massive creation, titled “Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World,” depicted a woman holding a torch in her raised right hand and a tablet in her left, upon which was engraved “July 4, 1776,” the adoption date of the Declaration of Independence. Bartholdi, who was said to have modeled the woman’s face after that of his mother, hammered large copper sheets to create the statue’s “skin” (using a technique called repousse).

The Statue of Liberty was then given to the United States and erected atop an American-designed pedestal on a small island in Upper New York Bay, now known as Liberty Island, and was dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1886.

Over the years, the statue stood tall as millions of immigrants arrived in America via nearby Ellis Island. She delivered the following message to each via an inscription on her base:

“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-tossed, to me:

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”     

The following 1886 painting by Edward Moran entitled: "The Statue of Liberty Enlightening The World" seems to convey the same sentiment quite well:

A map showing the New York - New Jersey states and the locations of Ellis Island and Liberty Island in proximity to these two states and to each other is shown below.

In 1986, the Status of Liberty underwent an extensive renovation in honor of the centennial of its dedication. Some number of months prior, I received a "personal invitation" from Lee Iacocca, CEO of Chrysler at that time and head of the Statue of LIberty Centennial Restoration project, to donate a certain amount of money that would recognize me by name in some manner of tribute at a later time. I donated generously, and I bought several commemorative coins recognizing the same centennial, so I made my mark on history, for whatever that may be worth.

President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan dedicated the refurbished Statue of Liberty on 4 July 1986, the 210th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America.

Today, the Statue of Liberty remains an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy, as well as one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks. For me, one of the most compelling pictures I have ever seen of the Statue of Liberty is the following picture taken on 11 September 2001. She seems to be telling Americans that we have faced and weathered tragic events before, and we will do so again. She holds her torch high.

With regard to the Statue of Liberty as seen in this picture taken on 11 September 2001, one of the most moving political cartoons that I have ever seen was in the news for a few weeks after the tragedy:

This fine lady has nerves made of steel, but she is human and, like many of us on that day, wept openly. I personally saw several former and current military officers drop to their knees and subsequently pray and weep openly.

May Lady Liberty Continue To Watch Over The United States Of America And Welcome Any Immigrant Who Wants To Legally Come To America, Become A United States Citizen Via Due Process, Renounce Their Present Citizenship, And Become An American.

May We Remain The Land Of The Free, And The Home Of The Brave

May God Continue To Bless America, Now And Forevermore.

Amen.

SOURCES:  www.wikipedia.org ; www.history.com ; www.cnn.com ; www.libertyellisfoundation.org