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Stephen Mancilla
Mike Russo
COR 390- Gotham: The New York Experience
September 19, 2014
Liberty Enlightening the World
There are many monuments in New York City that are significant to our history, however
the most known and most recognized is the Statue of Liberty. Most people do not know this
structures full name, Liberty Enlightening the World. The beautiful goddess has many features
that represent different things, but the overall symbol of this structure is democracy and our
independence, which is why it is so significant to the United States and many tourists. The Statue
of Liberty started with an idea from a French legal scholar, Edouard de Laboulaye, who is known
to be the Father of the Statue of Liberty. Laboulaye came up with the idea and a young
sculpture named Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was the designer and architect for the iconic
monument. Through the hard work of many distinguished individuals we can call this statue one
of Americas most famous landmark.
The idea to build the statue began in the early summer of 1865, in a village just southwest
of Paris. The individuals who contributed that night to the idea were Laboulaye, Bartholdi, Oscar
de Lafayette, grandson of George Washingtons comrade in arms, Count Charles de Remusat,
and Hippolyte de Tocqueville (Berenson 8). They discussed ways to show the Norths victorious
leaders that not everyone in France had joined their government opposing them. Laboulaye also
wanted to add a gesture designed to highlight the superiority of the American political system
over Frances authoritarian one. Laboulaye said, If a monument should rise in the United States,
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as a memorial to their independence, I should think it only natural if it were built by united
effort- a common work of both our nations. Berenson stated that the statue would be a common
effort of two peoples equally devoted to liberty (10). Laboulaye felt that the people of France and
the United States were united in their love of liberty and this is when he suggested giving a gift
of a giant statue to the United States (Burchard 14). He hoped that this would strengthen the
bond between the two countries and unite them in their commitment to democratic ideals. This
creation did not start right after the idea was made. It took Bartholdi a few years to develop the
idea in his mind. It generated by gathering pictures of other paintings, landmarks, and coins, such
as Eugene-Andree Oudines Medal of the Republic, Ludwig Schwanthalers Bavaria, and
Ernst von Bandels Arminius (Berenson 12-15).
The next big issue for the making of this monument was paying for it and finding the
location for it. Bartholdi scouted places in New York, such as Central Park, the Battery at the
southern tip of Manhattan, and sailed around New York Harbor (Berenson 31). According to
Burchard, as soon as he saw Bedloes Island at the entrance to the New York harbor, he knew he
found the spot for the statue and immediately began making sketches. Bartholdi spent five
months in America and during that time he made many friends and spread the word of his plans.
When he came back he knew it was not a good idea to share his idea with France due to the state
of political turmoil they were in, so he waited until the government was sufficiently stable.
Finally in 1874, Laboulaye felt that it was time to share his idea (Burchard 23). He realized that
the French could not raise enough money for the entire monument and that America would have
to aid them. It was concluded that the French would pay for the statue while America would pay

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for the foundation and pedestal. In France they started fund-raising and acquired large donations
from 181 municipalities, which made it possible to begin working on the statue (Burchard 25).
Now that there was enough funding to start this masterpiece, Bartholdi had to decide
what the monument would be made out of. He decided to use copper for the statues skin
because it is light, easy to work with, and strong enough to stand up during the long ocean
voyage. Copper would also hold up well in the salty air of the New York harbor (Burchard 26).
First he started with a four-foot model made out of clay. Next he produced a nine-foot model
using plaster. Bartholdi asked his mother if she could be used to pose for the models face. He
copied her stern features using wet plaster. He needed a younger woman to pose for the models
body, so he asked his friend Jeanne-Emilie Baheux de Puysieux. She stood on a box wearing a
long gown and holding a book and a torch for two weeks. After the nine-foot model was
complete he began creating a thirty-six foot model. Once this was complete it was time to build
the full-sized statue. The first part they built was the hand holding the torch. Bartholdi was asked
to send this part to the U.S. in order to display it at the 1876 Fourth of July centennial celebration
in Philadelphia. After this presentation it was moved to Madison Square to be used as a fund-
raising scheme. Burchard stated that each visitor would have to pay fifty cents to climb up to the
torchs balcony (30). This piece was sent back to Paris so it could be completed. In 1878 the
head was completed. In 1880 the U.S. started to build the pedestal and completed it in 1884 Also
in 1884, the statue was also completed, which was when it was dismantled and packed into 220
crates, ready for the voyage to New York (ENY 58). The statue was to be mounted in 1885
(Burchard 50).

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The unveiling of the Statue of Liberty was on October 28, 1886 (Berenson 73). This day
was given the official name of Bartholdi Day. The unveiling was followed by cheers, boat
whistles, foghorns, and firing guns. The unveiling attracted more than a million people. They
marched five miles waving flags from both the U.S. and France. This was known to be the
biggest parade in the citys history (Burchard 54).
As all other things, nothing can last forever. By the 1960s Liberty started to have physical
deterioration due to salt spray, sea air, and high winds. All these factors made the structure
unstable and very dangerous (Berenson 166). The statue originally had a copper tone but due to
this oxidation it has turned green. Although this may sound bad, it acts as a form of protection
from further deterioration (Christie). In 1982 a fundraiser was formed to help restore the Statue
of Liberty. When the restoration of the monument was finishing up, the last and final touch was
lighting the torch and adding projectors on the torch balcony. In 1986 this was the first time she
had been lit due to new technology (Berenson 180). The Statue of Liberty has become the
beacon it was destined to be.
Americans remember Liberty as a gift from France, that represents the liberties that
both France and America believes in. It was a gift in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the
American Revolution (ENY 58). Bartholdi used symbolism to prove this. The seven spikes on
the crown represent the seven oceans and the seven continents of the world, which indicate the
universal concept of liberty (Christie). This goddess brings many tourists and holds important
history. America plans on having this monument preserved for eternity. Visiting the Statue of
Liberty will be the most rewarding experiences of any trip to New York City. Tourists enjoy
climbing up 395 steps to reach the crown of the statue, where you can see one of the best views
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of the city and New Yorks skyline (ENY 58). She stands tall and will always stand tall lighting
the way to and showing us what freedom is.




















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Work Cited
Burchard, Sue H. The Statue of Liberty: Birth to Rebirth. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
1985.
Berenson, Edward. The Statue of Liberty A Transatlantic Story. Yale UP, 2012.
Christie, Sophie. "Statue of Liberty: 50 Fascinating Facts." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media
Group, 04 July 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
Russo, Michael S., and Meritta Cullinan. Essential New York. New York: Ars Omnia, 2014.