WEBVTT - What's the History of the Statue of Liberty?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Pay

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Lauren boge Obam. Here these iconic words are

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<v Speaker 1>etched into a bronze plaque located in the pedestal of

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<v Speaker 1>the Statue of Liberty. Give me your tired, your poor,

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<v Speaker 1>your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse

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<v Speaker 1>of your teeming shore. Send these the homeless tempest tossed

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<v Speaker 1>to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

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<v Speaker 1>The words are part of the New Colossus, the Sonnet

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<v Speaker 1>written in three by fifth generation American Jew M. A. Lazarus.

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<v Speaker 1>She wrote the New Colossus to help raise money for

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<v Speaker 1>the pedestal of the new statue at the request of

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<v Speaker 1>a friend. Lazarus, at that time was also known for

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<v Speaker 1>working with East European Jewish refugees, and new a poem

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<v Speaker 1>of such significance could bring attention to the plight of

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<v Speaker 1>refugees coming to America. But today Lazarus's words and the

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<v Speaker 1>original intention behind the Sonnet have raised new questions about

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<v Speaker 1>the meaning of the Statue of Liberty and what it represents.

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<v Speaker 1>So how did Lady Liberty come to the US and

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<v Speaker 1>what does this copper statue that's stood in New York

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<v Speaker 1>Harbor for so many decades symbolize is she still really

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<v Speaker 1>a beacon of freedom? To millions around the world. The

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<v Speaker 1>Statue of Liberty has become such a legendary representation of

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<v Speaker 1>New York City and America itself, it's hard to imagine

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<v Speaker 1>a time before it found a place in the skyline.

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<v Speaker 1>It all began in the eighteen sixties when French poet

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<v Speaker 1>and anti slavery activist Eduard de la Boulay proposed the

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<v Speaker 1>idea of a post Civil War commemoration of America's newfound

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<v Speaker 1>freedoms and democracy. He believed France should give a great

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<v Speaker 1>monument as a gift to the United States to celebrate

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<v Speaker 1>both the Union's victory in the Civil War and the

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<v Speaker 1>abolition of slavery. The idea resonated with a young French

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<v Speaker 1>sculptor named Frederic August bartle Dy, who had been experimenting

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<v Speaker 1>with large scale works. Barkele Dy started drafting designs, and

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<v Speaker 1>the original goal was to complete the ambitious artistic endeavor

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<v Speaker 1>by eighteen seventy six, to mark the centennial of the

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<v Speaker 1>American Declaration of Independence. The she was set to represent

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<v Speaker 1>the goodwill between America and France. There was a little

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<v Speaker 1>financial snag though well a big financial snag in both

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<v Speaker 1>participating nations. To raise the necessary funds for construction, the

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<v Speaker 1>French government introduced everything from public fees to a fundraising lottery,

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<v Speaker 1>and the United States held auctions and benefit theatrical events,

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<v Speaker 1>and Lazarus penned the new Colosses for the Art and

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<v Speaker 1>Literary auction to help generate money for the pedestal. While

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<v Speaker 1>all this was taking place, bartol D recruited an experienced

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<v Speaker 1>engineer to help troubleshoot structural issues with the massive sculpture enter,

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<v Speaker 1>Alexander Gustav Eiffel and the man responsible for another internationally

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<v Speaker 1>recognized architectural wonder, the Eiffel Tower. Together with bartl D,

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<v Speaker 1>Eiffel helped design the four hundred and fifty thousand pounds

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<v Speaker 1>structure that's about two hundred thousand kilograms, and specifically had

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<v Speaker 1>a hand in planning out the iron pylon and secondary

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<v Speaker 1>scaltal framework. The Statue of Liberty was finally completed in

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<v Speaker 1>France in July of eighty four and arrived in three

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and fifty individual pieces packed in two hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>fourteen crates. In New York Harbor in June of eight five,

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<v Speaker 1>ten years after her original projected debut, The Statue of

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<v Speaker 1>Liberty became an official New York City icon, and President

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<v Speaker 1>Grover Cleveland oversaw the official dedication ceremony on October eighteen,

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<v Speaker 1>eighty six. Lady Liberty herself has a full and proper name,

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<v Speaker 1>the Statue of Liberty, Enlightening the World. The statue's face

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<v Speaker 1>was apparently inspired by the face of Berkeld's mother. Made

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<v Speaker 1>from iron steel and three hundred layers of hand hammered copper,

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<v Speaker 1>weighing thirty one tons, Lady Liberty herself stands approximately a

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and eleven feet that's thirty four meters tall. She

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<v Speaker 1>reaches an astounding three hundred five ft or ninety three

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<v Speaker 1>ms if you take her pedestal and torch into account,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the equivalent height of a twenty two story building.

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<v Speaker 1>The copper coating her is three thirty seconds of an

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<v Speaker 1>inch thick or about two point five millimeters, which happens

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<v Speaker 1>to be the same thicknes as two American pennies placed together,

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<v Speaker 1>while the internal structure is comprised of cast iron and

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<v Speaker 1>stainless steel. As for her, signature green hue. That's due

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<v Speaker 1>to the natural oxidation of that copper coating. When the

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<v Speaker 1>statue was originally completed in eighteen eighty six, she had

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<v Speaker 1>more of a copper penny tinge, but over about three

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<v Speaker 1>decades the brown hue fully oxidized to form the sea

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<v Speaker 1>green color, otherwise known as a patina four. The statue

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<v Speaker 1>got to make over when her original torch was replaced

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<v Speaker 1>by a new copper one covered in twenty four carrot

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<v Speaker 1>gold leaf. The original torch is on display at the

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<v Speaker 1>monument's museum. While the Statue of Liberty emerged from a

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<v Speaker 1>desire to represent an alliance between America and France, its

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<v Speaker 1>core meaning is a mutual desire for freedom liberty for

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<v Speaker 1>all people all over the world. It's no accident that

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<v Speaker 1>the Statue of Liberty was placed to face southeast. From

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<v Speaker 1>that vantage point, she makes a perfect welcoming symbol for

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<v Speaker 1>visitors and immigrants from her home on Liberty Island. The

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<v Speaker 1>seven pointed crown on her head symbolizes the seven continents,

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<v Speaker 1>seven seas, and the broken shackles at her feet represent

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<v Speaker 1>freedom from oppression. Lady Liberty possesses a few other symbols

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<v Speaker 1>as well, She's holding a tablet in her left hand

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<v Speaker 1>inscribed with the date July four, seventeen seventy six, the

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<v Speaker 1>date of American independence, written in Roman numerals, and that

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<v Speaker 1>giant torch in her right hand. It's meant to represent enlightenment,

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<v Speaker 1>a fitting accessory for liberty enlightening the world. As for

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<v Speaker 1>the Lazarus poem, some history experts, like Robert J. McNamara

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<v Speaker 1>believe that while bart Goldie had originally envisioned Lady Liberty

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<v Speaker 1>as a symbol of America exuding its own freedom, the

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<v Speaker 1>new colossus represented America as a refuge for oppressed people

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<v Speaker 1>seeking liberty, and an understanding by people born as American

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<v Speaker 1>citizens that had we been born elsewhere, we might be

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<v Speaker 1>similarly seeking liberty from oppression and suffering. While there may

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<v Speaker 1>be countless interpretations, dissections, and misreadings of Lady Liberty's many

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<v Speaker 1>possible meanings, one thing is for sure. She has indeed

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<v Speaker 1>served as america One woman welcome committee for well over

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<v Speaker 1>a century. When the US government opened a federal immigration

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<v Speaker 1>station on Ellis Island in eight two, about twelve million

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<v Speaker 1>immigrants were eventually processed there before receiving permission to enter

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<v Speaker 1>the country. All of whom were greeted by the site

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<v Speaker 1>of the Statue of Liberty nearby. Today, the Statue of

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<v Speaker 1>Liberty remains a major attraction for citizens and visitors from

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<v Speaker 1>all over the world. Approximately four point five million people

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<v Speaker 1>make the pilgrimage to see her every year. One of

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<v Speaker 1>the most popular attractions is climbing up to her crown,

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<v Speaker 1>which has twenty five windows overlooking New York City and

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<v Speaker 1>the Harbor. It's a strenuous climb up a tight spiral staircase,

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<v Speaker 1>but visitors are rewarded with panoramic views of Brooklyn as

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<v Speaker 1>well as Gustav's original supporting iron and steel framework. The

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<v Speaker 1>American Jewish Historical Society is leading a three year initiative

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<v Speaker 1>called the mL Lazarus Project, which teaches students about the

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<v Speaker 1>woman who penned the new colossus. Part of the project

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<v Speaker 1>as a nationwide contest calling for new poems about the statue.

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<v Speaker 1>Winners will be announced in May of To learn more,

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<v Speaker 1>go to a j h S dot org. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>For more in this and lots of other grand topics,

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