What's the History of the Statue of Liberty?

The Statue of Liberty is so iconic that it's hard to imagine New York City without it, but plans for the statue got started less than 200 years ago. Learn how Lady Liberty was created in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Pay
brain Stuff Lauren boge Obam. Here these iconic words are
etched into a bronze plaque located in the pedestal of
the Statue of Liberty. Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse
of your teeming shore. Send these the homeless tempest tossed

(00:24):
to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
The words are part of the New Colossus, the Sonnet
written in three by fifth generation American Jew M. A. Lazarus.
She wrote the New Colossus to help raise money for
the pedestal of the new statue at the request of
a friend. Lazarus, at that time was also known for
working with East European Jewish refugees, and new a poem

(00:46):
of such significance could bring attention to the plight of
refugees coming to America. But today Lazarus's words and the
original intention behind the Sonnet have raised new questions about
the meaning of the Statue of Liberty and what it represents.
So how did Lady Liberty come to the US and
what does this copper statue that's stood in New York
Harbor for so many decades symbolize is she still really

(01:09):
a beacon of freedom? To millions around the world. The
Statue of Liberty has become such a legendary representation of
New York City and America itself, it's hard to imagine
a time before it found a place in the skyline.
It all began in the eighteen sixties when French poet
and anti slavery activist Eduard de la Boulay proposed the
idea of a post Civil War commemoration of America's newfound

(01:30):
freedoms and democracy. He believed France should give a great
monument as a gift to the United States to celebrate
both the Union's victory in the Civil War and the
abolition of slavery. The idea resonated with a young French
sculptor named Frederic August bartle Dy, who had been experimenting
with large scale works. Barkele Dy started drafting designs, and

(01:51):
the original goal was to complete the ambitious artistic endeavor
by eighteen seventy six, to mark the centennial of the
American Declaration of Independence. The she was set to represent
the goodwill between America and France. There was a little
financial snag though well a big financial snag in both
participating nations. To raise the necessary funds for construction, the

(02:12):
French government introduced everything from public fees to a fundraising lottery,
and the United States held auctions and benefit theatrical events,
and Lazarus penned the new Colosses for the Art and
Literary auction to help generate money for the pedestal. While
all this was taking place, bartol D recruited an experienced
engineer to help troubleshoot structural issues with the massive sculpture enter,

(02:35):
Alexander Gustav Eiffel and the man responsible for another internationally
recognized architectural wonder, the Eiffel Tower. Together with bartl D,
Eiffel helped design the four hundred and fifty thousand pounds
structure that's about two hundred thousand kilograms, and specifically had
a hand in planning out the iron pylon and secondary
scaltal framework. The Statue of Liberty was finally completed in

(02:57):
France in July of eighty four and arrived in three
hundred and fifty individual pieces packed in two hundred and
fourteen crates. In New York Harbor in June of eight five,
ten years after her original projected debut, The Statue of
Liberty became an official New York City icon, and President
Grover Cleveland oversaw the official dedication ceremony on October eighteen,

(03:19):
eighty six. Lady Liberty herself has a full and proper name,
the Statue of Liberty, Enlightening the World. The statue's face
was apparently inspired by the face of Berkeld's mother. Made
from iron steel and three hundred layers of hand hammered copper,
weighing thirty one tons, Lady Liberty herself stands approximately a

(03:40):
hundred and eleven feet that's thirty four meters tall. She
reaches an astounding three hundred five ft or ninety three
ms if you take her pedestal and torch into account,
that's the equivalent height of a twenty two story building.
The copper coating her is three thirty seconds of an
inch thick or about two point five millimeters, which happens
to be the same thicknes as two American pennies placed together,

(04:02):
while the internal structure is comprised of cast iron and
stainless steel. As for her, signature green hue. That's due
to the natural oxidation of that copper coating. When the
statue was originally completed in eighteen eighty six, she had
more of a copper penny tinge, but over about three
decades the brown hue fully oxidized to form the sea
green color, otherwise known as a patina four. The statue

(04:25):
got to make over when her original torch was replaced
by a new copper one covered in twenty four carrot
gold leaf. The original torch is on display at the
monument's museum. While the Statue of Liberty emerged from a
desire to represent an alliance between America and France, its
core meaning is a mutual desire for freedom liberty for
all people all over the world. It's no accident that

(04:47):
the Statue of Liberty was placed to face southeast. From
that vantage point, she makes a perfect welcoming symbol for
visitors and immigrants from her home on Liberty Island. The
seven pointed crown on her head symbolizes the seven continents,
seven seas, and the broken shackles at her feet represent
freedom from oppression. Lady Liberty possesses a few other symbols

(05:07):
as well, She's holding a tablet in her left hand
inscribed with the date July four, seventeen seventy six, the
date of American independence, written in Roman numerals, and that
giant torch in her right hand. It's meant to represent enlightenment,
a fitting accessory for liberty enlightening the world. As for
the Lazarus poem, some history experts, like Robert J. McNamara

(05:29):
believe that while bart Goldie had originally envisioned Lady Liberty
as a symbol of America exuding its own freedom, the
new colossus represented America as a refuge for oppressed people
seeking liberty, and an understanding by people born as American
citizens that had we been born elsewhere, we might be
similarly seeking liberty from oppression and suffering. While there may

(05:51):
be countless interpretations, dissections, and misreadings of Lady Liberty's many
possible meanings, one thing is for sure. She has indeed
served as america One woman welcome committee for well over
a century. When the US government opened a federal immigration
station on Ellis Island in eight two, about twelve million
immigrants were eventually processed there before receiving permission to enter

(06:13):
the country. All of whom were greeted by the site
of the Statue of Liberty nearby. Today, the Statue of
Liberty remains a major attraction for citizens and visitors from
all over the world. Approximately four point five million people
make the pilgrimage to see her every year. One of
the most popular attractions is climbing up to her crown,
which has twenty five windows overlooking New York City and

(06:34):
the Harbor. It's a strenuous climb up a tight spiral staircase,
but visitors are rewarded with panoramic views of Brooklyn as
well as Gustav's original supporting iron and steel framework. The
American Jewish Historical Society is leading a three year initiative
called the mL Lazarus Project, which teaches students about the
woman who penned the new colossus. Part of the project
as a nationwide contest calling for new poems about the statue.

(06:58):
Winners will be announced in May of To learn more,
go to a j h S dot org. Today's episode
was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Clang.
Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works.
For more in this and lots of other grand topics,
visit our home planet, how stuff works dot com, and

(07:19):
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