Who gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States?
Quick answer
France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a symbol of friendship and shared ideals of liberty. It was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, with an internal iron framework by Gustave Eiffel, and was dedicated in New York Harbor on October 28, 1886.
Key facts
- Official name
- Liberty Enlightening the World
- Dedicated
- October 28, 1886
- Height (statue)
- About 46 m (151 ft)
- Height (with pedestal)
- About 93 m (305 ft)
Why France gave it
The idea came from French political thinker Édouard de Laboulaye, who admired American democracy and wanted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of US independence and the end of slavery after the Civil War. The French people paid for the statue; Americans paid for the pedestal, helped by a fundraising campaign led by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer.
How it was built
- 1875Construction begins in Paris
- 1884The statue is completed in France
- 1885It’s taken apart into about 350 pieces and shipped to New York in more than 200 crates
- 1886It’s reassembled on Bedloe’s Island (now Liberty Island) and dedicated
- 1924It’s declared a US National Monument
Symbols in the statue
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Torch | Enlightenment, lighting the way to freedom |
| Tablet | Inscribed JULY IV MDCCLXXVI, July 4, 1776, the date of the Declaration of Independence |
| Broken chains at her feet | Freedom from oppression |
| Seven rays on the crown | Often said to represent the seven continents and seas |
Why is it green?
The statue’s skin is made of thin copper sheets. It was originally shiny reddish-brown, but over about 30 years, air and seawater caused a green layer called patina to form. The patina actually protects the copper underneath.
A symbol of welcome
For millions of immigrants arriving at nearby Ellis Island, the statue was their first sight of America. A plaque inside carries Emma Lazarus’s 1883 poem “The New Colossus.”
Learn who wrote the Declaration of Independence, the date on Liberty’s tablet. France and the US share a long history; see which countries border France.
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