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Statue of Liberty Dedication and Ticker Tape Parade - 1886 - On the morning of the dedication, a parade was held in New York City; estimates of the number of people who watched it ranged from several hundred thousand to a million. President Cleveland headed the procession, then stood in the reviewing stand to see bands and marchers from across America. General Stone was the grand marshal of the parade. The route began at Madison Square, once the venue for the arm, and proceeded to the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan by way of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, with a slight detour so the parade could pass in front of the World building on Park Row. As the parade passed through the New York`s financial district near the New York Stock Exchange, traders threw ticker tape from the windows spontaneously, beginning the New York tradition of the ticker-tape parade.A nautical parade began at 12:45 p.m., and President Cleveland embarked on a yacht that took him across the harbor to Bedloe's Island for the dedication. De Lesseps made the first speech, on behalf of the French committee, followed by the chairman of the New York committee, Senator William M. Evarts. A French flag draped across the statue's face was to be lowered to unveil the statue at the close of Evarts's speech, but Bartholdi mistook a pause as the conclusion and let the flag fall prematurely. The ensuing cheers put an end to Evarts's address. President Cleveland spoke next, stating that the statue's "stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man's oppression until Liberty enlightens the world". Bartholdi, observed near the dais, was called upon to speak, but he declined. Orator Chauncey M. Depew concluded the speechmaking with a lengthy address.No members of the general public were permitted on the island during the ceremonies, which were reserved entirely for dignitaries. The 151-foot-tall copper statue was a gift from the people of France, erected on a 154-foot base on an island in New York Harbor.

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It was quite a ceremony. Or would have been if everything had gone according to plan. The weather was foggy and signals were a bit crossed. Not much was audible. Neverless tickertapes were raining down on Wall Street

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Statue of Liberty National Monument - 1865 - The statue's internal structure of wrought iron trusses is an early example of the skeleton frame engineered by A. Gustav Eiffel. The frame, which at 151 feet equals the height of a 15-story building, supports the exterior copper "curtain wall" of Liberty's garments.^[1] Located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and liberty. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. It became a World Heritage Site in 1984. The island was extensively restored and reopened on July 4, 1986, shortly before the Statue's centennial in October 1986. The island is open to the public.Donated by citizens of France to celebrate Franco-American friendship, the Statue of Liberty is significant for its physical and symbolic characteristics. Richard Morris Hunt prepared the plans for the 89 foot high pedestal; French engineer Alexandre Gustav Eiffel designed the iron framework which supports the copper sheathing. Many consider this frame noteworthy in itself, because of its ability to support an irregularly-shaped structure subject to high winds. Symbolically, the Statue of Liberty reflects the political ideals of the late nineteenth century. It commemorates America's founding principles of liberty, freedom, and opportunity in America for all. More than sixteen million immigrants passed by the Statue of Liberty on the way to the Ellis Island Immigration Station.President Grover Cleveland gave a speech. Mayor Grace presented the freedom of the city. The very first Ticker tape parade followed soon after.A nautical parade began at 12:45 p.m., and President Cleveland embarked on a yacht that took him across the harbor to Bedloe's Island for the dedication. De Lesseps made the first speech, on behalf of the French committee, followed by the chairman of the New York committee, Senator William M. Evarts. A French flag draped across the statue's face was to be lowered to unveil the statue at the close of Evarts's speech, but Bartholdi mistook a pause as the conclusion and let the flag fall prematurely. The ensuing cheers put an end to Evarts's address. President Cleveland spoke next, stating that the statue's "stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man's oppression until Liberty enlightens the world". Bartholdi, observed near the dais, was called upon to speak, but he declined. Orator Chauncey M. Depew concluded the speechmaking with a lengthy address.

Photo © Reagan Presidential Library

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Statue of Liberty Centennial - 1986 - After a century, the Statue not surprisingly needed a bit of a facelift. A committee was formed this time led by Lee Iacocca and funds were raised. Work commenced on July 4, 1984 and was completed with a spectacular July 4th, 1986 Liberty Weekend. Even though the date was changed from October 28th, the event programming took a page from previous celebrations and included the massive flotilla of boats (Op Sail), a grand parade, and a rousing speech this time by President Ronald Reagan followed by a spectacular fireworks display.

Photo © The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation

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Statue of Liberty Museum - 2019 - The Statue of Liberty Museum is located on Liberty Island in New York City. The museum opened on May 16, 2019, and is focused on the creation, meaning, and history of the Statue of Liberty (formally Liberty Enlightening the World), a large statue by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi which the people of France gave to the people of the United States in 1886.The original torch, carried by Liberty from 1886 to 1984, is located in the museum. The museum includes exhibits relating to the statue's construction and history, and a theater where visitors can watch an aerial view of the statue. The exhibits include more than 500 photographs and graphics from more than 100 different sources. Examples include rare historic photos of the statue's construction from the Musée Bartholdi in Colmar, France, and sketches of early designs for the pedestal from the Library of Congress.

Photo © John Lindsay, Associated Press

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Statue of Liberty Rededication - 1936 - Exactly fifty years later the statue was rededicated after a a year-long event full of educational activities. The Celebration on the 28th featured a grand parade, flotilla, banquets, fireworks and speeches. The weather was much better and Franklin Delano Roosevelt who was in the process of campaigning for reelection was able to give a rousing speech. He declared “It has not been sufficiently emphasized in the teaching of our history that the overwhelming majority of those who came from the nations of the Old World to our American shores were not the laggards, not the timorous, not the failures. They were men and women who had the supreme courage to strike out for themselves, to abandon language and relatives, to start at the bottom without influence, without money and without knowledge of life in a very young civilization." Roosevelt went on to be reelected President three more times.

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The New Colossus plaque (Statue of Liberty) - 1903 - In 1883, William Maxwell Evarts and author Constance Cary Harrison asked Lazarus to compose a sonnet for the "Art Loan Fund Exhibition in Aid of the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund for the Statue of Liberty" - an art and literary auction to raise funds for the Statue's pedestal run by the American Committee for the Statue of Liberty. In turn, Lazarus, inspired by her own Sephardic Jewish heritage, her experiences working with refugees on Ward's Island, and the plight of the immigrant, wrote "The New Colossus" on November 2, 1883. After the auction, the sonnet appeared in Joseph Pulitzer's New York World as well as The New York Times. She died in New York City on November 19, 1887, most likely from Hodgkin's lymphoma and was buried in New York City at Congregation Shearith Israel's Beth Olom Cemetery in Cypress Hills, Queens.Lazarus' famous sonnet depicts the Statue as the "Mother of Exiles:" a symbol of immigration and opportunity - symbols associated with the Statue of Liberty today. After its initial popularity however, the sonnet slowly faded from public memory. It was not until 1901, 17 years after Lazarus's death, that Georgina Schuyler, a friend of hers, found a book containing the sonnet in a bookshop and organized a civic effort to resurrect the lost work. Her efforts paid off and in 1903, words from the sonnet were inscribed on a plaque and placed on the inner wall of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Today, the plaque is on display inside the Statue's pedestal, and an exact replica of the plaque can be found inside the Statue of Liberty Museum.

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Statue of Liberty Dedication and Ticker Tape Parade - 1886 - On the morning of the dedication, a parade was held in New York City; estimates of the number of people who watched it ranged from several hundred thousand to a million. President Cleveland headed the procession, then stood in the reviewing stand to see bands and marchers from across America. General Stone was the grand marshal of the parade. The route began at Madison Square, once the venue for the arm, and proceeded to the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan by way of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, with a slight detour so the parade could pass in front of the World building on Park Row. As the parade passed through the New York`s financial district near the New York Stock Exchange, traders threw ticker tape from the windows spontaneously, beginning the New York tradition of the ticker-tape parade.A nautical parade began at 12:45 p.m., and President Cleveland embarked on a yacht that took him across the harbor to Bedloe's Island for the dedication. De Lesseps made the first speech, on behalf of the French committee, followed by the chairman of the New York committee, Senator William M. Evarts. A French flag draped across the statue's face was to be lowered to unveil the statue at the close of Evarts's speech, but Bartholdi mistook a pause as the conclusion and let the flag fall prematurely. The ensuing cheers put an end to Evarts's address. President Cleveland spoke next, stating that the statue's "stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man's oppression until Liberty enlightens the world". Bartholdi, observed near the dais, was called upon to speak, but he declined. Orator Chauncey M. Depew concluded the speechmaking with a lengthy address.No members of the general public were permitted on the island during the ceremonies, which were reserved entirely for dignitaries. The 151-foot-tall copper statue was a gift from the people of France, erected on a 154-foot base on an island in New York Harbor.

Featured

It was quite a ceremony. Or would have been if everything had gone according to plan. The weather was foggy and signals were a bit crossed. Not much was audible. Neverless tickertapes were raining down on Wall Street