The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous monuments worldwide. Situated in New York of The United States of America, the Lady Liberty holding a torch symbolizes knowledge and friendship. The French designer who designed the Steel framework of The Eiffel Tower, Alexandre-Gustave-Eiffel, first designed the statue in Paris and sculpted it by Fredric-Auguste Bartholdi between the year 1881 to 1884. After being assembled in Paris by numerous
French and American Workers, the statue was shipped to America. Initially, the statue was built to show a peaceful democracy between America and France and was sent to America as a gift from the French government. Finally, on October 28th, 1886, the Americans reconstructed the statue on its pedestal on Bedloe's Island and unveiled this architectural beauty to the rest of the world.
The history behind The Statue of Liberty
The American Civil War in 1861was fought between the Union and the Confederacy following the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was vehemently against the awful culture of slavery and didn't want it to spread across the western world. On the other hand, Confederacy was an uprising republic in the North with Seven Southern Slave states supporting pro-slavery.
After Lincoln prevented any slave trades in the West, the angry Confederacy attacked the U.S to seize their forts and take over the lands in 1861. The mastermind behind this attack, Jefferson Davis, the Confederacy President at the time, managed to take over half of the U.S in a bloody battle that lasted four years.
However, the Union fought back viciously after Lincoln issued a grant to set all enslaved people free in America. The American Army opposed the Confederacy under Lincoln, including the Navy and the freed slaves. The Confederacy was eventually vanquished on May 26th, and new laws were set all over America to provide Civil Rights to the now freed Slaves.
France was on the side of the anti-slavery duration of the war. So when the Union came out victorious, they decided to build a statue for America as a mark of winning against slavery. Edouard de Laboulaye, a French historian, was the one who came up with the idea to build the Statue of Liberty in celebration of the Union's victory to establish lasting friendships in a democracy between France and America.
Construction of Lady Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is mainly made of golden copper. Copper changes color with time, so even though the statue was colored bluish green at first, it has turned into a greenish hue with time. The pedestal that Lady Liberty stands on was built in America by American constructors. Now it stands on Bedloe's Island, looming over New York City nearby at the height of 305 feet. The Statue of Liberty adores a crown on her head, a torch on the one hand, a book of Independence on the other, and a broken pair of shackles around her feet.
The Crown has seven spikes coming out from around her head. These seven spikes represent seven Continents, seven seas, and according to theories, seven wonders of the world. The number seven is a unique digit in the world of numerology most astounding phenomenon in the world has seven parts to them, like the rainbow.
The statue highlighting the number adds more to her great stature. The inside of the monument is mostly empty except for iron rivets, saddles, and armature bars holding the construction together. There is a way to climb up the torch of liberty from inside, but it has been closed for over a century after the massive explosion in New York Harbor that killed seven people.
The symbolism behind the statue
Symbolism and representation of democratic ideas are a huge part of the Statue of Liberty. Although Lady Liberty is mainly seen as a 'commemoration' between the French and American citizens, it also signifies peace and freedom. Around 1892, the U.S government opened a federal Immigration station on Elis Island, very close to Bedloe's Island. Over 12 million immigrants moved to Elis Island in the 1900s and received permission to stay in the USA.
The statue served as a sign for welcoming Immigrants to America back at the time, gaining the name 'Liberty Enlightening the World. This name is another symbolic feature of Lady Liberty as it represents the revolution of America. Furthermore, the broken shackle around her feet is a metaphor for breaking from the confinements of slavery.
Because the statue was primarily built in celebration of ending slavery, decorating the statue's feet with broken chains is a well-established symbol of freedom. Today the Statue of Liberty is about 146 years old. It's a major attraction for visitors from all over the world to admire. Approximately 3.5 million people visited the statue of liberty every year until the traveling restriction was set in place during the pandemic in 2020.
