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Lee Law Office 1809 W. Main St. Richmond, VA 23220 804-204-1500 www.mleelaw.com
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The Fight Against Cancer
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Discussing Your Estate Plan With Family 101
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Seafood Pasta Salad
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Special Needs Trust Creates Options
The History of the Statue of Liberty’s Arrival
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Behind the Landmark’s Journey to US Shores Lady Liberty Lands in America
for the statue because he imagined the figure welcoming people to America. Intended as a gift for the United States’ 100 years of independence in 1876, construction did not begin until that year due to funding issues. Even with the help of engineer Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame, the project was a massive undertaking that took years for workers to complete. Titling it the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, its creators presented the finished monument to the U.S. Minister to France on Independence Day 1884, then disassembled it for shipping. On June 17, 1885, France’s gift arrived in more than 200 cases. But unfortunately, the United States wasn’t ready. Again facing a budget shortfall, the U.S. had not yet completed the pedestal to support the statue. When workers finally finished that last piece in 1886, a construction crew of mostly new immigrants reassembled the monument. Lady Liberty debuted to the public on Oct. 28, 1886, and she was an instant hit. Originally shiny like a new penny, the copper statue took less than 20 years to oxidize from the elements and gain the distinctive green hue it has today. Despite her French origins, the Statue of Liberty is now as American as apple pie, and her unmistakable image continues to represent the country’s values of freedom for all.
It’s hard to imagine the United States without its most iconic landmark, but the Statue of Liberty didn’t arrive on our shores until more than 100 years after the American Revolution ended. The torch-bearing monument so closely associated with our nation finally reached its home in the U.S. in May 1885 — but it arrived unceremoniously in 350 pieces.
Contrary to widespread assumption, the Statue of Liberty did not celebrate America’s founding. Edouard de Laboulaye was a French anti-slavery advocate who wanted to give the country a statue representing freedom as the Civil War ended. He conceived of the sculpture in 1865 to mark the recent abolition of slavery. Laboulaye and sculptor Auguste Bartholdi decided on Lady Liberty because she was a familiar icon in U.S. culture, and a similar image appeared on American currency. Though invisible from most viewing angles, the statue has a broken shackle by her feet, representing a move toward freedom.
Bartholdi chose Bedloe’s Island, now known as Liberty Island, as the ideal site
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