For America250, on what date was the Statue of Liberty officially dedicated in New York Harbor?
Answer
October 28, 1886
The Statue of Liberty was officially dedicated on October 28, 1886, in New York Harbor.
France gave the statue to the United States to commemorate the alliance between the two countries during the American Revolution and to celebrate republican ideals. Sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the figure, while engineer Gustave Eiffel helped design its internal support structure.
The statue arrived in crates after being dismantled in France and was reassembled on Bedloe’s Island, now Liberty Island. President Grover Cleveland presided over the dedication ceremony, which included speeches, a naval display, and the unveiling of the monument.
The famous poem “The New Colossus,” by Emma Lazarus, was written in 1883, but its words were not placed on the pedestal until 1903. The statue became a powerful symbol of freedom, immigration, and the United States’ relationship with France.