The tablet held by New York’s Statue of Liberty is inscribed with July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals.
The inscription reads “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI,” the date traditionally associated with the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence. The tablet is one of the statue’s most recognizable details and directly connects the monument to the founding anniversary celebrated by America250.
The statue was a gift from France and was dedicated in New York Harbor in 1886. French historian and abolitionist Édouard de Laboulaye proposed the project in 1865, partly to commemorate American independence and the ideals of republican government.
The inscription should not be confused with July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Lee Resolution declaring the colonies independent. Nor is it the Constitution’s signing date, September 17, 1787. The tablet uses July 4 because that date became the established national anniversary.