The Statue of Liberty, also known as “Liberty Enlightening the World”, stands on Liberty Island in the harbour outside New York City, USA. Including the plinth, the statue is 93 metres (305 feet) tall, made from copper over a metal framework. Formally dedicated to the USA in October 1886 it was a gift from the French people to celebrate 100 years of American independence and to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. Since the statue was built, it has been recognized all over the world as a symbol of freedom and democracy. In 1924, it was made a National Monument. Sixty years later it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, over 4 million people visit the statue each year.

Plans

The first plans for the statue were made in France in 1865 by Édouard René de Laboulaye, a French writer and politician, and Frédéric Bartholdi, a sculptor. Together they planned a monument that would be a gift to the USA from the French people. It would celebrate the centennial (100-year) anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and symbolize American liberty (freedom). A gift of such a monument would link American values of liberty with French ideas about freedom that had been circulating since the French Revolution. They decided on a representation of Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty. She was already a recognizable figure in American culture, appearing on American coins and on the dome of the US Capitol Building.
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​​​​​​​Bartholdi travelled to the USA, where he noticed an island in New York Harbor that all ships would pass by as they arrived into New York. He decided this island, then named Bedloe's Island, would be a perfect location for the monument. Travelling across the USA, he met and talked to Americans and began to come up with a plan for the statue. He quietly made progress, and by 1870 he had sketched out the statue’s design.
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Bartholdi placed a torch in the figure’s right hand as a symbol of enlightenment. In her left hand he placed a tablet on which is written the date of American independence in Roman numerals: July IV, MDCCLXXVI. This firmly linked the idea of liberty with American independence.

​​​​​​​At the statue’s left foot, he placed broken chains and shackles, symbolizing the abolition of slavery in the USA. Her foot is slightly raised, as if she is walking forward: a symbol of progress. The seven spikes of the crown symbolize the sun’s rays, or light extending out into the world.

Building the statue

​​​​​​In 1875 Laboulaye publicly announced plans for the statue and began raising funds. It was decided that France would pay for the design and construction of the statue, while the USA would fund the pedestal. By 1877, plans for the statue had been finalized and a location agreed on ​​​​​​​Bartholdi's favoured Bedloe’s Island (which would later be renamed Liberty Island).​​​​​​
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Together with architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, Bartholdi began work building the head and right arm bearing the torch. The head was finished in time to exhibit at the 1878 Paris World's Fair, while the arm was exhibited in Philadelphia, USA.

​​​​​​​Following Viollet-le-Duc's death in 1879, French civil engineer Gustave Eiffel (1832–1923)—who would later become famous for the Eiffel Tower built for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris—took over the construction of the statue. He designed an iron framework like a skeleton to support the copper panels (the skin). The panelled design would allow the statue to sway in the wind, and to expand in hot weather without cracking. Inside, a spiral staircase allowed visitors to climb up to an observation deck in the statue’s crown. A ladder also reached up inside the statue’s right arm to the torch.
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In the USA, fundraising began for the pedestal. The project ground to a halt as the city of New York ran out of money, but to try and complete the project the New York World newspaper ran a fundraising campaign amongst its readers. To encourage donations from ordinary Americans, it promised to print the names of every contributor, however small the amount. Donations flooded in, including donations of just a few cents by schoolchildren. Nearly all the money raised—$100,000, more than $2.3 million today—came from donations of less than one dollar.

The statue unveiled

​​​​​​​Meanwhile the statue was built in Eiffel’s workshop in Paris. It was finally finished in 1884. The following year, the finished statue was dismantled and transported to New York on board a steamer. Here, it was re-assembled piece by piece. As it arrived in New York City on June 17, 1885, the ship was welcomed by thousands of people and tiny boats along the shores of New York Harbor. The statue was unveiled at a formal ceremony of dedication on 26th October 1886, watched by hundreds of thousands of people. At the time, it was the city's tallest structure.

At the end of the 19th century, immigration to the USA greatly increased, and the Statue of Liberty became a famous landmark for immigrants arriving in America. As they sailed into New York Harbor, they passed the famous statue, which had by now become known as a symbol of freedom and democracy. For people beginning their new lives in the USA, the statue also represented a welcome to their new home. At the base of the statue is an inscription of a poem entitled The New Colossus, written by American poet Emma Lazarus at the time the statue was built. It reads: “Give me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to break free”. These lines have taken on great significance for all those arriving in the USA, especially refugees.

The statue today

Since it was first installed the statue has been repaired and restored several times. By 1900 its original copper colour had faded to a pale green as a natural chemical reaction called verdigris set in. This is a type of oxidation which happens when copper is exposed to weathering by the air. The original torch was made from polished copper with cut holes to allow light to shine from within it, but when it was first illuminated it gave out very little light. It was replaced in 1916 by a torch made from panelled glass. The current torch was installed in 1986. It is made from copper and covered in gold leaf which reflects bright sunlight during the day, and the rays from floodlights at night.

​​​​​​​Today, visitors to the statue can take a ferry from New York City or New Jersey to Liberty Island, where they can view the statue and visit museum exhibits inside the pedestal. Until 1916, when the statue was damaged during World War I, visitors could climb 12 metres (40 feet) up a narrow ladder to a lookout point at the torch. Since then the torch has been permanently closed, but a small number of visitors can climb a staircase to the crown.