The Statue of Liberty Turns 126 Years Old

Kevin Burns / June 17, 2011

126 years ago today, on June 17, 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor.  A gift from the French people, the statue recalls our alliance with France during the Revolutionary War.  Historian Edouard de Laboulaye conceived the idea of the statue as a visible symbol of America’s guiding principle: the universal liberty and equality of men.

Sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue, modeling her after the Roman goddess Libertas, the personification of freedom.  Officially titled “Liberty Enlightening the World,” the statue’s name, along with the torch born in her right hand, remind us of America’s mission: to be a city on a hill and a shining beacon of liberty for the world.  As John Quincy Adams proclaimed on July 4, 1821, the United States is the “well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.” (more…)