Building Liberty: A Story of Friendship and Freedom

In June 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor, a dramatic moment in the history of U.S.–French relations. This towering monument was a gift from the people of France to the United States, designed to commemorate American independence and reinforce a bond of shared democratic values. The idea originated with French historian Édouard René de Laboulaye, who believed a collaborative project would strengthen ties between the two nations after the American Civil War.

The statue itself was sculpted by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who envisioned a robed woman bearing a torch as a universal symbol of liberty. Its internal iron frame was the work of Gustave Eiffel, who later gained fame for his namesake tower in Paris. The exterior was crafted from hammered copper sheets, which formed the now-iconic surface. Construction began in France in 1875 and took nearly a decade to complete.

When the statue was ready, it had to be carefully disassembled into 350 pieces and packed into 214 crates for its transatlantic journey aboard the French frigate Isère. After roughly a month at sea, the ship reached New York in June 1885. Meanwhile, the pedestal on Bedloe’s Island—later renamed Liberty Island—was still under construction, funded largely by grassroots American donations driven by Joseph Pulitzer’s newspaper campaign.

Assembly began that same year under the supervision of American engineer Charles P. Stone and was completed in just four months. The statue was officially dedicated by President Grover Cleveland on October 28, 1886. Bedloe’s Island was chosen as the location not only for its visibility to ships entering the harbor but also because it already housed Fort Wood, whose star-shaped base provided a perfect foundation for the monument.

Contrary to popular belief, the Statue of Liberty was not simply a hollow shell. From the beginning, it included stairs that led up to the crown—162 steps from the pedestal to the top. While the torch room was once open to visitors, it has remained closed since an explosion in 1916. The pedestal also contains a museum that explores the statue’s history, design, and cultural significance.

The Statue of Liberty remains a potent symbol of freedom, immigration, and international cooperation. For those who passed through Ellis Island, she was the first glimpse of hope in a new world—and for many, she still is.