Volume 4, No. 1 (Fall 2000) -- Ellis Island/Immigration Issue

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France gave the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States more than 100 years ago as a gesture of friendship after the American Revolution. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed the sculpture to commemorate the centennial of American Independence. The American people were to build the pedestal. Funds were a problem for both countries. In France, public fees, entertainments and a lottery were used to raise funds. In the United States, it was theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights. Joseph Pulitzer wrote editorials in his newspaper criticizing both wealthy and middle class Americans for not supporting the fund raising effort.

Bartholdi needed an engineer for such a colossal copper sculpture. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Eiffel Tower, designed the framework allowing the copper skin to move independently yet stand upright. Completed in France in 1884, the Statue arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 in 350 pieces packed in 214 crates on board a French frigate. The Statue was reassembled in four months. In 1886 thousands of spectators witnessed the dedication of the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue's granite pedestal was placed in the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood. In 1901 it was placed under the War Department. Fort Wood and the Statue of Liberty became a National Monument in 1924 and was transferred to the National Park Service in 1933. In 1937 it was enlarged to encompass Bedloe's Island, renamed Liberty Island in 1956. Ellis Island was transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965. In 1982 President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to head up a private effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. Fundraising began for the $87 million restoration under a public/private partnership. In 1984 the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site. On July 5, 1986 the newly restored Statue reopened to the public during Liberty Weekend, celebrating her centennial.

Visitors climb 354 steps to reach the crown or 192 steps to the top of the pedestal. The seven rays of the crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. There are 25 windows in the crown. Winds of 50 miles per hour cause the torch to sway five inches.