Statue Of Liberty: 130 Years In NYC

The Statue of Liberty is, without any doubt, the best and most popular representation of the USA and of the American dream itself. June 17 marked the 130th anniversary of the statue’s arrival to New York City.

According to the the Inquisitr, the Statue of Liberty was originally just a French gift to the Americans.

“Roughly 3.5 million visit the Statue of Liberty each year, and visitors are screened much the same way as in an airport screening.

An American icon, the Statue of Liberty was given to the American people in 1886 by the French people to celebrate 100 years of Franco-American friendship and also the centennial of the founding of the United States. President Grover Cleveland presided over the dedication.”

It was not easy to find a decent location for such symbol. According to NBC New York, the location of the Statue of Liberty was chosen personally by Auguste Bartholdi, the designer of this masterpiece.

“It is, indeed, the New World, which appears in its majestic expanse, with ardor of its glowing life. Yes, in this very place shall be raised the Statue of Liberty,” Bartholdi wrote.

“In the 129 years since its dedication, the statue has been dedicated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a National Monument, and a New York City landmark. It is visited by millions of people worldwide every year and is one of the most iconic and symbolic sites in the nation,” NBC New York adds.

Gizmodo reports, that the statue even has got its own patent.

“Bartholdi even filed for a design patent, as the US Patent and Trademark Office pointed out today.

“The patent was actually filed three years after Bartholdi was commissioned to design it, and it includes a really lovely verbal description of his design. For example: The head, with its classical, yet severe and calm. features, is surmounted by a crown or diadem, from which radiate divergingly seven rays, tapering from the crown, and representing a halo. It also included a beautiful engraving of the unfinished design on the front page.”

It’s hard to imagine now that the United States existed without this representation of its very essence. Would there be another symbol of freedom and endless possibilities if it wasn’t for France? Perhaps, but nevertheless, the Statue of Liberty guards the NYC for more than one hundred years now, and the U.S. lived through many positive changes under its protection.

[Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images]