The Statue of Liberty: Meaning of the Statue of Liberty
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY:
MEANING OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
The statue of Liberty is national monument given to the United States by France in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Being among the best-known monuments in the world, it attracts between three to four million people each year. The Statue of Liberty has been a tourist destination and played many other roles in its 124-year history. Representing a woman holding aloft a torch, it stands at the entrance to New York harbor on a 12-acre land known as Bedloe’s or Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes freedom throughout the world, democracy as well as international friendship. As a result, many immigrants’ hearts warmed up as they beheld the symbolic woman welcoming them to the land of numerous opportunities. As such, the poet Emma Lazarus composed the poem "The New Colossus."
The idea of the statue was born at the home of Edouard de Laboulaye while at dinner with prominent friends, near Versailles, France, in the summer of 1865. Edouard, a professor of Constitutional Law and History at College de France in Paris, understood and interpreted the American government very explicitly. While reviewing a book by Agenor, Count Gasparin, an abolitionist on the grounds of Christian ethics, De Laboulaye wrote: “Until a new sort of politics was lately found for us, it was accepted on both sides of the ocean as a virtual article of faith that America and France are sisters. . . . We claim that France never fights for an interest, only for an idea. I accept this proud device and ask: If we aid the South, what idea shall we be defending?” The discussion resulted in the idea of building the Statue of Liberty that now stands in New York Harbor. Even after some French people doubted at the discussion that France could even count on the United States in time of French emergency, he reiterated that the bond between France and the US was a lasting one.
The creators of
MEANING OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
The statue of Liberty is national monument given to the United States by France in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Being among the best-known monuments in the world, it attracts between three to four million people each year. The Statue of Liberty has been a tourist destination and played many other roles in its 124-year history. Representing a woman holding aloft a torch, it stands at the entrance to New York harbor on a 12-acre land known as Bedloe’s or Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes freedom throughout the world, democracy as well as international friendship. As a result, many immigrants’ hearts warmed up as they beheld the symbolic woman welcoming them to the land of numerous opportunities. As such, the poet Emma Lazarus composed the poem "The New Colossus."
The idea of the statue was born at the home of Edouard de Laboulaye while at dinner with prominent friends, near Versailles, France, in the summer of 1865. Edouard, a professor of Constitutional Law and History at College de France in Paris, understood and interpreted the American government very explicitly. While reviewing a book by Agenor, Count Gasparin, an abolitionist on the grounds of Christian ethics, De Laboulaye wrote: “Until a new sort of politics was lately found for us, it was accepted on both sides of the ocean as a virtual article of faith that America and France are sisters. . . . We claim that France never fights for an interest, only for an idea. I accept this proud device and ask: If we aid the South, what idea shall we be defending?” The discussion resulted in the idea of building the Statue of Liberty that now stands in New York Harbor. Even after some French people doubted at the discussion that France could even count on the United States in time of French emergency, he reiterated that the bond between France and the US was a lasting one.
The creators of
Bibliography: Lazarus, Emma “The New Colossus” Online. Available http://www.nps.gov November 12, 1883