Statue of Liberty - Pride of America

The Statue of Liberty is the pride of every American. It's a high-profile symbol of American freedom and democracy. It has been an inspiration to millions of immigrants to the United States. The statue is located in the New York Harbor near Ellis Island, the gateway to New York City. It was a gift from France to celebrate republicanism. In 1865, French republican Édouard de Laboulaye conceived the idea of a giant statue to honor the two nations' commitment to liberty.

The statue was built from individual sheets of copper which were hammered and pressed into curving shapes, then joined together. It was the work of Sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. After carving, it was shipped across the Atlantic in 214 crates and was reassembled on a 150-foot pedestal designed by Gen. Charles Stone and a group of engineers. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue soon became a major tourist attraction and was greeted by generations of newcomers to the shores of United States. A spiral stairway within it allows visitors to climb to an observation deck within Liberty's crown and even higher to her outstretched, torch-bearing arm.

Its heavy use, combined with the effects of water, led to its deterioration. French engineers studied the structure and concluded that climate control was required for the interior and that holes should be covered.

The Statue of Liberty has been closed to visitors since September, 2001 after the attack on World Trade Center both for security reasons and because it was in need of repairs. The island opened 100 days later, but the statue remained off-limits due to security concerns. At the end of November a group of well-known New Yorkers launched a campaign to raise money to refurbish the national monument and improve security at the site. The National Park Service is planning to reopen the statue to tourists in the near future, and in preparation, civilian employees of the National Park Service are being trained to respond in crisis situations in case of a terror attack. The training also included search-and-rescue operations and a refresher on first-aid techniques.

Security around this monument is a key concern for the National Park Service, and the Officials say they are making a number of improvements in and around the Statue of Liberty, including upgrades to the fire detection systems, improved emergency exit signs etc in an effort to re-open the interior of the 45-meter tall statue to visitors in late July or early August. The improvements may also include sectioning off areas for public safety, camera, closed circuit TV's, different stairwells for emergency exits etc. National Park Service officials say they expect up to one million visitors a day at the Statue of Liberty once it reopens.

The Statue of Liberty still inspires millions who read the poem on its base by Emma Lazarus, which concludes with the lines:

"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-toot to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"