What monument did France give the United States for the centennial of American independence?

France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty to commemorate the centennial of American independence.

The monument, formally titled Liberty Enlightening the World, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. Its internal iron framework was engineered by Gustave Eiffel, who later designed the Eiffel Tower. France presented the statue in sections, and the United States constructed its pedestal on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor.

The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886, ten years after the centennial year rather than in 1876. Its copper exterior has acquired the green patina associated with the monument today. The tablet held by Liberty bears the date July 4, 1776, written in Roman numerals.

The Statue of Liberty became closely associated with immigration because ships entering New York Harbor passed it before reaching Ellis Island. The poem “The New Colossus,” written by Emma Lazarus in 1883, was later placed on the pedestal and helped shape that association.