In 1865 a French law professor, Edouard Rene de Laboulaye, was having dinner with friends at his home near Versailles. He was known as an ardent supporter of the Union, and since the American Civil War had just ended, Laboulaye made the historical statement that brought the idea for the Statue of Liberty together. He said "If a monument should rise in the United States, as a memorial to their independence, I should think it only natural if it were built by united effort - a common work of both our nations." From that point, inspiration was felt by artists and sculptors throughout France. Unfortunately Napoleon III was not too hot on the idea of sharing notoriety with another world nation, so no large scale action was immediately taken.
It took 21 years from Laboulaye's utterance of the idea for the Statue of Liberty to be designed, engineered, built, shipped, erected and finally dedicated. On October 28th, 1884 the towering copper lady was dedicated to the freedom of every American. From ground level to the tip of her torch, she stands exactly 305 feet and one inch. Her total weight including the copper shell and steel frame is 450,000 pounds. Slightly more obscure measurements include her 35 foot waist, four foot six inch nose, eight foot long index finger and wear size 879 sandals.
Building Lady Liberty was not a quick task. It took thousands of skilled labourers working ten hours a day, seven days a week, for nine years before the statue was completed. All 350 individual pieces were carefully packed in 214 crates to be carried over the Atlantic Ocean. Even after the pieces had arrived in the US and assembly began, the whole project was very close to collapse. Organizers were having an immense amount of trouble getting funding. The Panic of 1873 had a strangle-hold on the world, and governmental figures did not see a 300 foot statue as a good investment. Eventually the organizers went to the people for donations, even going so far as to petition patrons at bars.
There has been much speculation about the symbolism around the seven points on Liberty's crown. Her designer, Frederic Batholdi, had originally planned to adorn the statue's head with a pointed cap, like those worn by emancipated slaves. The general consensus was it would provoke an attitude of abolition. After much discussion and a few different recommendations, Batholdi settled on the crown we see today. He suggested the seven rays represent the sun, the seven seas and the seven continents, of which Liberty's torch enlightens the world.
Lady Liberty is not simply a gift from the French. She represents the freedom of every person to choose their home, have a right to make a living and to contribute to the community.
It took 21 years from Laboulaye's utterance of the idea for the Statue of Liberty to be designed, engineered, built, shipped, erected and finally dedicated. On October 28th, 1884 the towering copper lady was dedicated to the freedom of every American. From ground level to the tip of her torch, she stands exactly 305 feet and one inch. Her total weight including the copper shell and steel frame is 450,000 pounds. Slightly more obscure measurements include her 35 foot waist, four foot six inch nose, eight foot long index finger and wear size 879 sandals.
Building Lady Liberty was not a quick task. It took thousands of skilled labourers working ten hours a day, seven days a week, for nine years before the statue was completed. All 350 individual pieces were carefully packed in 214 crates to be carried over the Atlantic Ocean. Even after the pieces had arrived in the US and assembly began, the whole project was very close to collapse. Organizers were having an immense amount of trouble getting funding. The Panic of 1873 had a strangle-hold on the world, and governmental figures did not see a 300 foot statue as a good investment. Eventually the organizers went to the people for donations, even going so far as to petition patrons at bars.
There has been much speculation about the symbolism around the seven points on Liberty's crown. Her designer, Frederic Batholdi, had originally planned to adorn the statue's head with a pointed cap, like those worn by emancipated slaves. The general consensus was it would provoke an attitude of abolition. After much discussion and a few different recommendations, Batholdi settled on the crown we see today. He suggested the seven rays represent the sun, the seven seas and the seven continents, of which Liberty's torch enlightens the world.
Lady Liberty is not simply a gift from the French. She represents the freedom of every person to choose their home, have a right to make a living and to contribute to the community.
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