The 4th July and the Statue of Liberty

In 1865 Edouard de Laboulaye, a French politician of liberal leanings, gave a dinner party at his home near Versailles. De Laboulaye had read de Tocqueville and John Stuart Mill and was an admirer of the US governmental system. He had supported the Union during the Civil War. At this dinner party there were a few guests, including a sculptor from Alsace (where my grandfather was born, see my post of May 12, 09 “Mother’s Birthday”). Edouard thought that for the forthcoming centennial anniversary of American Independence on the 4th of July 1876, France should give a gift to America. It would be given in friendship and in honor of the Franco-American alliance as well as for the friendship built during and since the war of Independence. It was decided that this gift should be representative of “liberté” the French word for “freedom."

Picture of Auguste Bartholdi (photo courtesy of National Park Service)

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was the young sculptor attending this dinner. He envisioned a gigantic statue as the symbol of liberté as the gift to America and Edouard de Laboulaye commissioned him to do the work. Bartholdi traveled to the United States in 1874 and thought that the port of New York would be a fitting place to erect this statue. By 1882 the funds were raised in France by appealing to the French people. Shop keepers, workers, everyone gave, but to raise enough funds lotteries were also organized. Bartholdi started working on the statue and employed Gustave Eiffel (the builder of the Eiffel Tower ) to be the architect. Bartholdi encountered many difficulties, one of which was that the US Congress refused to give the funds to build the pedestal for the statue in New York. Soon after, Edouard de Laboulaye passed away. He had been the spiritual father of the statue.

Painting of the Statue of Liberty under construction in Paris, by Victor Dargaud (courtesy of Musée Carnavalet, Paris.)

The founder of the newspaper, the New York World, Joseph Pulitzer, decided to be the fund raiser for the building of the pedestal and succeeded. In July 1884, in Paris, Bartholdi finished the statue which he had named “La Liberté éclairant le Monde” which means ”Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World." The statue was officially offered to the United States on 4th July 1884 by the French Representative, Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal. In May 1885 the statue, contained within 214 crates, was sent via train to the port of Le Havre. It arrived in the port of New York on board the ship “Isère” on 17 June 1885. It was greeted in port by 100 ships. When the pedestal was finished, the statue was erected and on 28 October 1886, it was inaugurated with president Grover Cleveland and more than a million onlookers attending the ceremony. It had missed the 4th July 1886 date unfortunately.


The statue has always been a favorite of mine. I was pleased that it had been a gift from the French people to the US people. When I came to this country I also traveled by ship from the port of Le Havre to the port of New York. Early on the morning when the ship entered New York harbor I was on top deck, with many other passengers, looking at the statue as it was slowly emerging from the morning fog. It was an impressive sight and even though I had only come for an extended vacation (I thought…), I was impressed and knew that it would mean so much for people looking for new hope and a new life. Sadly, however, a poll was taken in 1986 during the 100 year restoration of the statue and it was learned that only 2% of the American public knew that it had been a gift from the French people.



Since I did not have my camera ready at that time to take my first picture of the New York harbor, here is a postcard I bought while cruising on board the Queen Mary II last December (copyright Cunard).



The statue is 305 feet, 6 inches tall from the base of the pedestal to the tip of the torch; the statue itself is 111 feet, 6 inches tall. A tablet held in her left hand is inscribed with the date of July 4, 1776 in roman numerals JULY IV MDCCLXXVI. When she was inaugurated there were no words on the statue regarding immigration or the masses coming to America , but she was a symbol of the New World and freedom, for most.. not quite yet for people of color.

Picture courtesy Ellis Island Foundation.

In 1903, the last five lines of Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” were engraved on a bronze tablet on the statue pedestal:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" -Emma Lazarus, 1883

The postcard above as well as the two below are from my vintage postcard collection.

The Statue of Liberty endures as a symbol of freedom and friendship between two republics, France and the United States of America.

Liberty
When the God of Liberty Formed of earth this mortal frame,
Breathed the breath of life in me,
And a spirit I became,
Wrapped within my swaddling bands,
Bound and fettered helplessly, *
I stretched forth my infant hands
To embrace sweet Liberty …….
"Till I die, or meet my doom,
On the shameful gallows-tree,
- Till the portals of the tomb,
I will shout forth Liberty !"

- Mikael Nalbandian, Armenian Poet 1829-1866

- abridged poem - * Armenians babies were tied tightly to the cradle when they were put to sleep.

The Statue of Liberty is a reminder of the essence of this country. It shows that we have a fraternal bondage with every one who came here. It is a fitting symbol of what is best this country has to offer. It continues to give hope to all the immigrants entering the port of New York. Liberty, or Freedom, is fragile and must not be taken for granted. Every citizen has to be vigilant so as to keep liberty in this land - or it will gradually fade away.

Happy Fourth of July!

Last Minute Update: It has just been reported on national news that the crown on top of the statue will reopen to visitors tomorrow, July 4th, 2009. It had been closed since 9/11. The area is very small and only 8 to 9 persons can fit in it at one time. Tickets are sold-out through the winter.