Statue of Liberty Facts for Kids Do you know what famous monument in the United States was a gift from France? Here is a hint. One of its nicknames is Lady Liberty.
Yup, it is the Statue of Liberty. And today we are going to learn more about about it. Starting with this, the Statue of Liberty's official name is Liberty Enlightening the World and was designed to honor the end of enslavement in the United States. The designer of the statue was a French sculptor named Frédéric Bartholdi. He also helped raise money to build it and picked the New York Harbor for its display.
It cost about $500. thousand dollars to build, which would be equal to around 14 million dollars today. That is a lot of money. Even though Bartholdi designed it, the original idea for the statue came from a French anti-enslavement activist named Edouard Delaboulet. Here is an interesting fact, the inside of the statue was built by Gustave Eiffel, who is, you guessed it, the same person who built the Eiffel Tower.
Pretty cool, right? The statue was built in pieces over the space of about nine years. Then it had to be taken apart, shipped to the United States, and reconstructed where it now resides in New York Harbor. Reconstruction took six months, and was completed on October 28, 1886. It weighs around 225 tons. And counting its pedestal, the Statue of Liberty is about 305 feet tall.
That is about the size of a 30-story building. In fact, it was once the tallest building in New York City. Just to give you an idea of just how huge the statue is, here are some fascinating stats.
The head of the statue is about... 17 feet tall. The nose is about four and a half feet long. That is as tall as some of you. The right arm is 42 feet long and the index finger is eight feet long.
Whoa! Here is an interesting fact. The outside layer of the statue is made of copper, which means that it used to be a brownish color. Today, the exterior is green because the copper has oxidized and been exposed to water and air.
Here is a bonus fact. This copper layer is so thin it is about the same thickness as two pennies. Who would have guessed? The Statue of Liberty itself is modeled after a Roman goddess named Libertas, which means Liberty and freedom. This is what the statue as a whole was meant to symbolize.
But there are other symbols all over the statue too. The broken chains near the feet of the statue represent the end of tyranny, which means that the government will not take away people's freedom. The torch at the top of the statue always stays lit, and it symbolizes the value of liberty.
And it's light spreading across the world. The seven spikes of the crown represent the seven seas and seven continents of the world. And the tablet that Lady Liberty holds in her left hand symbolizes the law.
It has the Roman numerals for July 4th, 1776 written on it, which is the date that the United States was founded. Talk about about some cool facts. Let's review.
True or false. The Statue of Liberty was built all at one time in one big piece. False. The statue was built in pieces over a period of nine years. Fill in the blank.
One of the nicknames for the Statue of Liberty is Lady blank Liberty. What date is inscribed on the tablet in the statue's arms? July 4th?
1776. Great job friends! The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous statues in the world and a symbol of liberty and peace for many people. That is why over 4 million tourists come to visit it each year.
Maybe you have already seen Lady Liberty up close, or maybe one day you will be able to visit. Either way, you know some fun new information. that you can share with your family and friends.
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