The Statue of Liberty

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Standing three-hundred-and-five feet tall, on Liberty Island in the New York Harbor, is the Statue of Liberty.

This incredible statue was built in France starting in the year 1875. The statue was created piece-by-piece by the famous sculptor Frederic Bartholdi. He is responsible for the design of the statue and where it is located today.

You can see a picture of Bartholdi below.

^{Image [cropped] by Napoleon Sarony, via Wikimedia Commons, is in the public domain.}

Bartholdi didn't do the work all on his own. An engineer named Gustave Eiffel also helped design the Statue of Liberty. Gustave Eiffel is also responsible for the creation of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Eiffel helped Bartholdi come up with an iron grid structure which would allow the statue to stand tall with plenty of support for many years to come.

^{Image [cropped] by Nadar, via Wikimedia Commons, is in the public domain.}

Together, the men designed the Statue of Liberty. First, the arm and the torch were built. The head was built next. After that, the rest of the body was constructed.

The body was a challenging project to complete. First, they had to make the iron frame for her body, and then they needed to put the copper pieces over the top of the iron frame. When the statue was finally finished, it had a beautiful copper color that shined in the sunlight.

On October 28, 1886, when the Statue of Liberty was finally complete, it was transported in pieces to the United States of America.

The Statue of Liberty is a gift from France to the people of the United States of America. Freedom, liberty, and enlightenment are what she represents the best. Lady Liberty was given to the United States as a gift for establishing their independence from England.

The torch she holds high above her head represents enlightenment for all the people and all the places around the world. The chains surrounding her feet represent America breaking free from England. The tablet in her left hand represents the Fourth of July, the day when Americans celebrate their independence.

Over the years, the copper color of the Statue of Liberty has changed to green.

Every year, over four million people visit the Statue of Liberty! Many people are able to go up into her crown, but the torch is no longer able to hold people safely. If you decide to visit the Statue of Liberty, you will be able to view the beautiful surroundings from the top of her crown.

In the Got It? section, you will read a short story about the Statue of Liberty. Before you move on, say aloud two facts you learned about the Statue of Liberty.