America’s iconic ‘Statue of Liberty’ is seen as a symbol of hope and freedom. This statue was given to America as a gift by the French people. This statue, located on Liberty Island in Lower Manhattan in New York, was named Liberty Enlightening the World. More than 60 people built it over a period of 10 years.
Before being sent to America, different parts of this statue were exhibited in Paris. This statue is made of copper and its frame is made of iron. During the last century, it was repaired many times. During 1984 and 1986, its repair cost 87 million dollars.
This statue in New York City is also the main location of the fireworks on the occasion of the Independence Day of the United States. The tallest underwater Statue of Liberty in New York City is dedicated to the US National Park Service, which is responsible for protecting the city.
According to the National Park Service, the French stonemason Bartholdi lived in Egypt in 1855 and 1856. During this time, he did practical demonstrations of installing large statues in public places.
When the Egyptian government of that time asked for proposals for the construction of a lighthouse to monitor the Suez Canal in 1869, Bartoldi also participated in it. He proposed to the Egyptian government a statue of an Arab woman and at the same time drew sketches of the statue, in which an Arab peasant woman was holding a torch in her hand.
This statue is a metaphor for Egypt, the catchphrase of which was the phrase “Egypt has given light to Asia”. In the woman sketched in this sculpture, Bartoldi has carefully illustrated the impression of a typical Egyptian peasant woman.
According to Barry Moreno, a researcher at the Smithsonian Institution in the United States, Bartoldi’s female Egyptian peasant was originally wearing a hijab. Another researcher, Edward Berenson, added that Bartholdi had given the image of the Arab woman a lofty goddess some years later.
The Egyptian government did not appreciate the proposal to install a statue of an Arab peasant woman on the Suez Canal, but the sculptor was finally given the opportunity to create a large statue. He got this opportunity when the French government decided to give a ‘Statue of Liberty’ to the American people.
The responsibility of creating this statue fell to Bartoldi. Bartoldi began the creation of the giant statue in 1870. Funding for the statue, which was completed in France in 1886, was a difficult task, especially for Americans. This is the reason why its construction was slow and then after the completion of the statue, the construction of the pillar, on which the statue was to be installed, was stopped due to lack of funds.
Eventually Joseph, publisher of the New York World, launched a fundraising campaign and raised money from 120,000 people, most of whom contributed less than a dollar. The Statue of Liberty, which was made in France, was brought to America by ship and its various parts were assembled and installed.
The height of this statue from the ground to the torch is 151 feet and 1 inch. The statue is attributed to a Roman goddess, wearing a loose dress and wearing a seven-cornered crown, representing the seven seas and seven continents. In the left hand of the statue is a plaque and in the right hand a lighted torch made of gold which it stands above its head. July 4, 1776 is engraved on the plaque, which is the date of the declaration of independence of the United States from the British Empire.
The structure of the statue is made of copper. Due to the presence of water around it, it has turned brassy due to humidity. A broken chain can also be seen at its feet as a symbol of freedom. Until 1901, the statue was managed by the United States Board of Trustees, and then by the Department of War until 1933, after which it was taken over by the National Park Service. Handed over to off-service.
The facts
Height: The Statue of Liberty is 305 feet 6 inches tall overall.
Mashal: After renovation in 1986, the new torch was decorated with layers of 24 carat gold.
Crown and face: The seven rays of its crown each measure 9 feet in length, weigh 150 pounds, and face a height of more than 8 feet.
Plaque and Dates: The plaque on the left hand side is 23 feet 7 inches in height and 13 feet 7 inches in width.
Grade and Color: There are 154 steps of the staircase from Piedan to the top of the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty has been kept light green to highlight its natural color, which together with the blue sky creates a mesmerizing scene.
