the statue of liberty facts

The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from the people of France to commemorate 100 years of Franco-American friendship. The statue also commemorates the centennial of America's independence. The statue is formally known as “Liberty Enlightening the World.” It was sculpted by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi.

The goddess held the torch symbolizing freedom in her right hand, and her left hand was holding the "Declaration of Independence" engraved on July 4, 1776. Under her feet were broken handcuffs, fetters and chains. She symbolizes freedom and breaks free from the constraints of tyranny. It was completed and unveiled on October 28, 1886. The internal structure of the wrought-iron statue was designed by Gustave Eiffel, who later built the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The Statue of Liberty is 46 meters high, 93 meters with a base, and weighs 225 tons. It is made of metal and placed on a concrete base. The base of the Statue of Liberty was built by the famous Joseph Pulitzer who raised 100,000 US dollars. The base is a museum of American immigration history. In 1984, the Statue of Liberty was listed as a world cultural heritage.

4 facts about the Statue of Liberty

1. The Statue of Liberty was originally brown

The Statue of Liberty is one of the famous landmarks in the United States. Many tourists come here every year. In 1885, France spent 10 years commemorating the American Revolution and gave it to the United States. This landmark is 93 meters high and made of 30 tons of copper. 

Over time, the Statue of Liberty has oxidized from its original brown color to its current copper-green color. The authorities had planned to restore it to its original appearance, but it was opposed by many people.

2. The Statue of Liberty was originally designed for Egypt

According to the description of Statue of Liberty sculptor Bartholdi, in 1869 the Egyptian government planned to build a lighthouse on the Suez Canal. The French sculptor Bartholdi was invited to design a conceptual drawing of the statue for this purpose. The conceptual drawing is a figure wearing an Arab robe. , A statue holding a torch, the design will stand at the entrance of the port, and the torchlight can guide the ships passing by. However, this design proposal was rejected by the Egyptian government because the cost of the statue exceeded the budget, so it became an airplane draft.

In 1870, Bartholdi modified it on the basis of the concept map, and it became the familiar Statue of Liberty.

3. The meaning of the Statue of Liberty

The seven sharp awns on the crown of the Statue of Liberty symbolize the seven continents, the torch symbolizes the fire of freedom, the left hand is holding the Declaration of Independence, and the chain broken at the foot symbolizes freedom after breaking free from tyranny. The sculptor once planned to let the statue hold a broken chain in his hand to symbolize the free rebirth of slaves, but later cancelled the design because of concerns about the controversy.

4. The Statue of Liberty in the 19th century became a symbol of immigration

Between 1892 and 1954, when 12 million people immigrated to the United States, they would see the Statue of Liberty holding a torch. For those who immigrated to the United States, the Statue of Liberty was the "symbol of America."

In 1972, the U.S. authorities changed the base of the statue to the Immigration Museum, which recorded documentaries of early immigrants.