France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a symbol of friendship and shared republican ideals.
The monument was conceived in the nineteenth century by French political thinker Édouard de Laboulaye, who admired the American experiment in representative government. French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue, while engineer Gustave Eiffel helped create its iron framework.
The statue was built in France, shipped across the Atlantic in sections, and reassembled on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor, now called Liberty Island. President Grover Cleveland presided over its dedication ceremony on October 28, 1886.
Its original connection to the centennial of American independence explains its relevance to the 250th anniversary. Construction and fundraising delays meant the statue arrived a decade after 1876, but its dedication became a major international celebration. The copper-clad figure is formally titled Liberty Enlightening the World.