On this day in 1886, the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was dedicated in New York Harbor by U.S. President Grover Cleveland, who said, “We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home.”

Completed in 1884 by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904), the statue was a gift celebrating the friendship between France and the United States during the American Revolution. The 225-ton symbol of freedom arrived from Rouen, France, in 214 crates and took four months to assemble.

“Here... my statue must rise,” Bartholdi said. “Here where people get their first view of the New World.” The Statue of Liberty — what a fine lady! There are 192 steps from the ground to the pedestal, and 354 steps to reach the crown. Its crown features 25 windows, symbolizing the world’s gemstones, and seven rays representing the seven seas and continents of the world.

Poet Emma Lazarus gave Lady Liberty her eternal voice: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Her proud words are engraved on the statue’s pedestal.

Reflecting on freedom, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once observed, “America, my friends, is the only country in the world actually founded on liberty — the only one. People went to America to be free.”

After a $69 million restoration in 1986, millions from around the world continue to visit this shining icon of democracy, freedom, and opportunity.