What is the Statue of Liberty?
Liberty Enlightening the World, known more commonly as the
Statue of Liberty, is a statue given to the United States by France
in the late 19th century, standing at Liberty Island in the mouth
of the Hudson River in New York Harbor as a welcome to all
returning Americans, visitors, and immigrants. The copper statue,
dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the
United States and is a gesture of friendship between the two
nations. The sculptor was Frederic Auguste Bartholdi; Gustave
Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower, engineered the internal
supporting structure. The Statue of Liberty is one of the most
recognizable icons of the U.S. worldwide; in a more general sense,
the statue represents liberty and escape from oppression. It is
also a favored symbol of libertarians.