The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of American freedom. Each piece of the statue has meaning.
Torch:
The statue’s given name is “Liberty Enlightening the World.”
Feet:
Her feet are 25 feet long. The right foot is moving forward. There is a chain and shackles being left behind.
Crown:
The seven spike represent the seven seas and seven continents.
Inscription:
JULY IV MDCCLXXVI
This is the fourth of July using Roman numerals. It’s the date of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
It is a universal symbol of freedom. It was a gift from France, dedicated in 1886. It is covered in copper and lives on a 12-acre island in New York.
On its pedestal is a poem by Emma Lazarus called “New New Colossus.”
“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!”
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!”
