Statue of Liberty Dedication: Freedom Welcomes the World
The Statue of Liberty, officially titled "Liberty Enlightening the World," arrived in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885, packed in 214 crates aboard the French frigate Isere. The copper statue, designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi with an iron framework engineered by Gustave Eiffel, was a gift from France commemorating the alliance between the two nations during the American Revolution. The statue stands 151 feet tall and weighs 225 tons. Fund-raising for the pedestal proved difficult until publisher Joseph Pulitzer launched a campaign in the New York World, raising $100,000 from over 120,000 small donations. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886, by President Grover Cleveland. Emma Lazarus's sonnet "The New Colossus" ("Give me your tired, your poor") was added to the pedestal in 1903.
June 17, 1885
141 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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