Statue of Liberty is a large sculpture that is located in New York, in the U.S. It was built in honor of the centenary of American independence, but also in honor of the existing model of freedom in the United States, in the view of the creators of this work.
The idea of building this statue came from a French intellectual named Edouard de Laboulaye, while the construction of the statue was carried out by a French sculptor named Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. The construction of the statue was financed by the French people, and it was donated to the United States, opening on October 28, 1886.
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Summary about the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a statue that is located in New York, in the United States.
It was inaugurated on October 28, 1886, having been donated to the United States by France.
It was built in honor of the centenary of the Independence of the United States.
It is considered a symbol of freedom and welcome to immigrants.
It was built in copper by the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.
History of the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a grandiose sculpture that was built at the end of the 19th century and donated to the United States in commemoration of the centenary of that nation's independence. The statue was built by a French artist and financed by the French population, being given away as a gift from France to the United States.
This statue is located on Liberty Island or Liberty Island, considered part of New York City, in the United States. Despite this, geographically speaking, the statue is located in territory that belongs to the state of Nomy ass Jersey. Thus, the location of the island on which the statue stands is considered an exclave of the city and state of New York within the territory of New Jersey.
O original name of this statue is Liberty Enlightening the World, translated as Liberty Illuminating the World, and it opened on October 28, 1886. Traditionally, it is known only as the Statue of Liberty, being identified as a symbol of freedom in the United States, in addition to being a symbol of welcome to everyone who arrives in New York.
The dimensions of this statue are expressive, and in total the sculpture has 93 meters, and the statue alone is 46 meters. The other 47 meters correspond to the base that supports the statue. The builder of the Statue of Liberty was the Frenchman Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who created this statue using copper as raw material.
The statue was built with inspiration from the Colossus of Rhodes, a gigantic statue that was built in Rhodes, in Greece, during the Aseniority. The statue depicts Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom., holding a torch and a tablet in his hands with the inscription of the date of the declaration of independence of the United States, July 4, 1776.
Why was the Statue of Liberty built?
We saw that the Statue of Liberty was a gift of the French people to the United States and that its construction was financed by donations from the French population so that Bartholdi could complete his sculpture. The pedestal that supports the statue, in turn, was built thanks to donations made by American citizens.
The idea of building a grandiose statue and donating it to the United States on the centenary of American independence it started from Edouard de Laboulaye, French writer, jurist and professor. In addition, he was very involved with the events of the american civil war, defending the Union (northern states).
As he advocated the idea that the ideals of the northern states represented freedom, the statue would also be a symbol of that freedom that he believed existed. Furthermore, Laboulaye was critical of Napoleon III's government, considering it authoritarian. Laboulaye's idea was considered interesting by Bartholdi, who decided to make it happen.
Know more: Origin and curiosities about the flag of the United States
Construction of the Statue of Liberty
In France, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi began work on the construction of the statue. He went in search of people who could finance the construction of the statue, which would be built from bronze and that would require large sums of money. The first model of the statue was made in 1870, and an organization was formed in France in 1875 as a way to guarantee money for the statue to come out of paper.
Donations in France began in 1875, counting on the contribution from ordinary citizens, although there was also the contribution of several French prefectures. Among the contributors were also descendants of French people who had fought in the American War of Independence, and a copper company donated large amount of metal.
In 1876, the statue's hand and torch were shipped to the United States, where they were put on display in Philadelphia and later in New York. This meant that some donations were also made by US citizens. Finally, in 1880, the organization responsible for the donations announced that it already had enough money to complete the statue.
It is estimated that 400 thousand dollars were used in values of the time to build the statue. Another important part of the construction of the Statue of Liberty was funding for the construction of the plinth that would support the statue. This is because there was a kind of definition that the statue would be financed by the French people, but the pedestal would be funded by the American population.
Including that's why part of the statue was sent to the United States, remaining in visitation between 1876 and 1882. The goal was to secure US donors, but while some were excited about the idea, the financing of the pedestal was quite difficult, and there was even talk of giving up the idea of sending the statue to the United States.
Anyway, throughout the 1880s, several events were held in New York, which intended to keep the statue, so that the pedestal could be built. It was necessary to involve the journalist Joseph Pulitzer, through the newspaperThe World, so that the funding campaign had strength.
Through his work, thousands of contributions took place and made possible the construction of the pedestal, which cost about 250 thousand dollars, in values at the time. In 1886, the statue arrived in the United States in several parts., being assembled and inaugurated in the same year.
See too: History of Christ the Redeemer
What was the original color of the Statue of Liberty?
No, the Statue of Liberty was not originally green. It was built with copper, so it had the color copper, a color that resembles Thethe brown. Over the years, the color of the statue changed, and copper gave way to green. This process of color change became visible from the beginning of the 20th century. This change in color is due to chemical reactions that happen involving the oxygen, copper and other chemical compounds.
Touring the Statue of Liberty
Currently, the Statue of Liberty is one of the great symbols of New York and the United States, being visited by about 4.5 million people a year. The complex surrounding the statue is maintained and managed by the National Park Service. The terrace on the torch is barred to the public, and its access has been prohibited since 1916.
Between 2001 and 2009, visitation to the Statue of Liberty was prohibited as a security measure as a result of the TheTempted September 11th. Visiting the statue was also prohibited for nine months after the passage of a hurricane by New York. On May 16, 2019, one was openedmuseum on the island where the statue is located, called the Statue of Liberty Museum.
image credits
[1] Jiuguang Wang It is commons
[2] commons
By Daniel Neves Silva
History teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/estatua-da-liberdade.htm