Statue of Liberty History

The Statue of Liberty National Monument officially celebrated her 100th birthday on October 28,1986. The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the Americasn Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as international friendship.
Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the America Declaration of Independence.The Statue was a joinnt effort betweenAmericaand France and it was agreed upon that the American people were to build the pedestal and French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States .However ,lack of funds was a problem on both sides the Atlantic Ocean.In Frace ,public fees,varios forms of entertainment and a lottery were among the methods used to raise finds .In the United States, benefit theatricalevents, art exhibitions,auctions and prize fights assited in providing needed funds .Meanwhile in Frace, Bartholdi required the assistance of engineer to address structural issue associated with designingsich as colosal copper sculpture.Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework allows the Statue`s copper skin to move independently yet stnd upright .Back in America ,fund raising for the pedestal was going particularity slowly ,so Joseph Pulitzer (noted for the Pulitzer Prize ) opened up the editorial pages of his newpaper ,"The World "to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer used his newpaper to criticize both rich had failed to finance the pedestal construction and middle class who content to rely upon wealthy to provide the funds .Pulitzer`s campaign of harsh criticism was successful .