VOA新闻杂志2025--The Statue of Liberty: ‘Enlightening the World’ for Nearly 150 Years

The Statue of Liberty has served as the guardian¹ of New York Harbor for nearly 150 years.

The statue might be one of the most photographed works of art in the world. A French sculptor², Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, designed it in the late 1800s. Today the monument remains³ a beautiful sight on the New York skyline.

The materials required for building the Statue of Liberty were almost lost at sea. In 1885, the ship carrying those materials nearly sank in stormy seas. Luckily, the ship survived. It arrived in June of that year.

By 1886, the Statue of Liberty was erected⁵ on what was then called Bedloe's Island. The statue was officially opened that year. Many years later, the island was given a new name: Liberty Island.

“Lady Liberty,” as many people call the statue, was a gift from the people of France. Its full name is “Liberty Enlightening the World.” The United States and France have been friends and allies since the American Revolution. France helped the American colonial armies defeat British forces. The war officially ended in 1783. A few years later, the French rebelled against their king.

The Statue of Liberty from the air

France had wanted to give the statue to the United States on the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence -- July 4th, 1876. But technical problems and lack of money delayed the project. France finally officially presented the statue to the United States in Paris in 1884.

A pedestal to hold the 200 tons of weight was finished later.

The statue also needed a structure that could hold its weight of more than 200 tons. French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel created the necessary technology. Later, he designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Eiffel and others worked in Paris to produce a strong support system for the statue. The design also had to have the ability to move a little in strong winds.

In France, workers separated the statue into 350 pieces, put them on a ship and sent them across the ocean. After surviving the rough seas, the statue arrived in New York in more than 200 wooden boxes.

It took workers four months to build the statue on the pedestal.

On October 28th, 1886, President Grover Cleveland accepted the statue in a ceremony. He said: “We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected.”

She's a survivor⁶

Throughout history, the idea of liberty has often been represented by images of a woman. Historians say the statue's face was created to look like Bartholdi's mother. Her right arm holds a torch high in the air. Her left arm holds a tablet with the date of America's Declaration of Independence -- July 4th, 1776.

On her head, the Statue of Liberty wears a crown with seven points. Each point is meant to represent the light of freedom as it shines on the seven seas and seven continents of the world. The 25 windows in the crown represent gemstones found on Earth. A chain that represents oppression lies broken at her feet.

Lady Liberty was officially named a National Monument in 1924. Liberty Island and Fort Wood have been overseen⁷ by the U.S. National Park Service since 1933.

The Statue of Liberty has survived damage caused by time, visits by millions of people and the weather. It stood firm during a destructive storm, Hurricane Sandy, which struck the East Coast in October of 2012. But Liberty Island suffered damage, requiring major repairs.

I'm Anna Matteo.

Jerry Watson wrote this story, and Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

skyline –n. the outline that a large city's buildings make on the sky

erect⁴ –v. to put up a building or large structure

pedestal –n. a base that provides support

altar –n. a raised structure or platform

neglected –adj. not taken care of, or in need of repair or care

torch –n. a light

continent –n. one of the great landmasses of the Earth such as North America, South America or Asia

1 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

2 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

5 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

6 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

7 overseen   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was overseen stealing the letters. 他被人撞见在偷信件。 来自辞典例句
• It will be overseen by ThomasLi, director of IBM China Research Laboratory. 该实验室由IBM中国研究院院长李实恭(ThomasLi)引导。 来自互联网