The Statue of Liberty, one of the most iconic symbols of the United States, was a gift from the people of France to the United States. It was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
The idea for the statue originated from Édouard René de Laboulaye, a French political thinker and abolitionist, who proposed the idea as a symbol of friendship between France and the United States and as a celebration of American independence and the abolition of slavery.
The statue, officially titled “Liberty Enlightening the World,” depicts a robed female figure holding a torch in one hand and a tablet with the date of American independence (July 4, 1776) in the other. The statue represents freedom, democracy, and enlightenment. The statue’s crown features seven spikes symbolizing the seven continents, and it stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.
The construction of the statue involved collaboration between Bartholdi, who designed the copper statue, and engineer Gustave Eiffel, who created the internal framework. The statue was disassembled and shipped from France to the United States in 350 individual pieces and then reassembled on its pedestal in New York City.
Today, the Statue of Liberty serves as a prominent landmark and a symbol of welcome to immigrants and visitors arriving in the United States. It has become a cherished symbol of freedom and democracy recognized around the world.