The Statue of Liberty comes from images

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This weekend is July 4th, and while it is a time to celebrate – safely – America's Independence Day, it is also a time to reflect on what freedom and freedom mean. The Statue of Liberty has been a lasting national symbol for personifying the very abstract idea.

"Liberty Enlightening the World" arrived in New York Harbor from its journey from France, dismantled in 350 pieces, June 17, 1885. More commonly known as the Statue of Liberty, it was the largest statue of that time, towering over Brooklyn Bridge and Trinity Church, symbolizing a message that the country is still trying to achieve today: freedom for all.

Rising 305 feet from the pedestal to the torch, the statue weighs 450,000 pounds; 88 tons of brass were used in the structure. The length of one hand is more than 1

6 feet while her index finger measures exactly 8 feet. The colossal statue was a gift from France and the brain of French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi to symbolize America's freedom message to the world, which he constructed while depressed by the ruins and misery of his home country after the defeat of Germany in the Franco-Prussian War.

The New Ulm Review in Minnesota stated, "& # 39; Liberty Enlightening the World! & # 39; What a priceless blessing of personal freedom it is. It is the sanctuary where people, grounded in the heels of tyranny in older worlds, worship with a kindness that Americans can scarcely realize. ”

Liberty was still seen as a controversial topic in the 19th century. It suggested violence and revolution for many people, but Bartholdi used classic images of a powerful, honorable national authority to overcome ideology.

The colossal statue was, and still is, a symbol of independence for all, but it is an ideal that has seemed ironic and unattainable for centuries.

In an early model, Bartholdi depicted Lady Liberty holding crushed chains in her hand with reference to the release of slaves in 1863. But in the final model, the chains were replaced with a tablet dated July 4, 1776 and nodded to the Declaration of Independence. Bartholdi then placed the broken shackle and chains under Lady Liberty's feet – they are basically impossible for visitors to see at most angles. Although it nodded to the liberation of slavery in the United States and symbolized an enlightened approach to freedom, the country still strives to achieve the freedom of all it promotes.

Scroll below to see how the Statue of Liberty was built and constructed.