Lady Liberty

Lady Liberty, standing with a promise of hope and light in the darkness.

We take this symbol of our passage to freedom pretty seriously.  Many think her tablet beholds a quote, but it actually holds Roman numerals for the date of our Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. The Emma Lazarus quote commonly thought to be on her tablet is actually located on the plaque at her base is one I never tire of. It's message reads: 

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

A broken chain lies at the feet of the statue, symbolizing the freedoms we have in the United States of America. The statue is a welcoming signal to immigrants from all around the world who arrive from the corners of the earth to enter our country at Ellis Island. The seven spikes on the crown of the Statue of Liberty represent the seven oceans and the seven continents on our globe. She holds a torch, which illuminates a pathway to freedoms one has a right to in our country. The statue represents that Liberty is sought here, freedom is won here, and none shall be neglected here. Her torch stays lit for all to seek the shores of freedom by. 

The Statue of Liberty was gifted to the United States by France in 1886. It is a 305 foot tall Copper neoclassical sculpture located on Liberty Island in the New York Harbor in New York City. It was designed by sculptors Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and Richard Morris Hunt, and built by architect Gustave Eiffel. After originally being constructed in Paris in 1885, it was deconstructed and packed into 214 separate containers and shipped in 350 pieces to the United States where it was reassembled in New York upon it's arrival.

The Hungarian American Publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer galvanized the American public to contribute to the effort by publishing the project in his newspaper, The World. Within six months of publication of the project he raised $100,000 for the statue. 

We encourage you to see her for yourself. Pictures do not do her magnificence justice. Her symbolism is profound. Her presence, indelible.

We decided it was naturally appropriate to pay tribute to the group of individuals we are honoring by visiting the Statue and passing by Ellis Island. In some small way, as we walk the streets those we seek to celebrate in our book have, as we feel the tides under the boat, and as we sail near the lights we see in the distance and can see it as they would have seen it themselves, we are hoping that we are experiencing a small piece of their voyage so that we can honor it, pay tribute to it, and teach you about it. So that you can do the same.

For more information on the Statue of Liberty please see the following links:

Statue of Liberty National Monument
http://www.nps.gov/stli/
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.
http://www.ellisisland.org
Ellis Island National Monument
http://www.nps.gov/elis
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/history/10-facts-about-the-statue-of-liberty/449874393
https://www.countryliving.com/life/a35726/statue-of-liberty-facts/