The Statue of Liberty: A Transatlantic Story

When French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi first traveled to the United States to propose the construction of a giant tribute to liberty, Americans either rejected the idea or were baffled by it. Nevertheless, completed in 1886, the Statue of Liberty stands today as one of the best-known symbols of the United States. It was ultimately a gift from the French people to the American people, as private citizens, not the two governments, financed it from torch to toe. Historian Edward Berenson illuminates the origins of Lady Liberty, the complex construction process, and her shifting meaning.