Statue o Leeberty

The **Statue o Liberty** (***Liberty Enlightening the Warld***; French: *La Liberté éclairant le monde*) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed bi Frédéric Bartholdi an dedicatit on October 28, 1886. The statue, a gift tae the Unitit States frae the fowk o Fraunce, is o a robed female figur representin Libertas, the Roman goddess o freedom, who bears a torch an a *[[tabula ansata]]* (a tablet evokin the law) upon which is inscribit the date o the American Declaration o Independence, Julie 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon o freedom an o the Unitit States:  a welcomin signal tae immigrants arrivin frae abroad.

Bartholdi wis inspired bi French law professor an politeecian Édouard René de Laboulaye, who commentit in 1865 that ony monument raised tae American unthirldom wad properly be a jynt project o the French an American fowks. Due tae the troubled poleetical situation in Fraunce, wirk on the statue did nae commence till the early 1870s. In 1875, Laboulaye proposed that the French finance the statue an the Americans provide the steid an big the pedestal. Bartholdi completit the heid an the torch-bearin airm afore the statue wis fully designed, an thir pieces wur exhibitit for publicity at internaitional expositions.

The torch-bearin airm displayed at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 an in New York's Madison Square Pairk frae 1876 tae 1882. Fundraisin proved difficult, especially for the Americans, an bi 1885 wirk on the pedestal wis threatened due tae lack o funds. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer o the *[[New York Warld|Warld]]* stairtit a drive for donations tae complete the project that attractit mair nor 120,000&nbsp;contributors, maist o whom gae less nor a dollar. The statue wis constructit in Fraunce, shipped owerseas in crates, an assembled on the completit pedestal on what wis then cried Bedloe's Island. The statue's completion wis merked bi New York's first ticker-tape parade an a dedication ceremony presidit ower bi Preses Grover Cleveland.

The statue wis admeenistered bi the Unitit States Lichthoose Board till 1901 an then bi the Department o War; syne 1933 it haes been maintained bi the Naitional Pairk Service. The statue wis closed for renovation for much o 1938. In the early 1980s, it wis foond tae hae deterioratit tae sic an extent that a major restoration wis required. While the statue wis closed frae 1984 tae 1986, the torch an a lairge pairt o the internal structur wur replaced.

Efter the September 11 attacks in 2001, it wis closed for reasons o safety an security; the pedestal reopened in 2004 an the statue in 2009, wi leemits on the nummer o visitors allowed tae ascend tae the crown. The statue, includin the pedestal an base, wis closed for a year till October 28, 2012, sae that a seicontar staircase an ether safety features coud be installed; Liberty Island remained open. Houiver, ane day efter the reopenin, Liberty Island closed due tae the effects o Hurricane Sandy, an the island remains aff leemits tae the public.  Public access tae the balcony surroundin the torch haes been barred for safety reasons syne 1916. The statue will reopen tae the public bi Julie 4, 2013.

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