Happy Birthday Lady Liberty!!!!!

Sat 28 Oct marks the 120th Anniversary of the dedication of The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World). It was intended to be a gift from the people of France to celebrate the Centenial of the Declaration of Independence. A committee under the leadership of Édouard René Lefèvre de Laboulaye. They chose Frederic Auguste Bartholdi as sculptor. The structure to support the exterior of the statue was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. The Statue was errected on was was originally Bedloes Island & is now known as Liberty Island. It is next to Ellis Island where most immigrants coming from Europe arrived from 1892-1954. Both The Statue of Liberty National Monument & Ellis Island National Monument are under the care of the National Park System. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation is set up to help restore & preserve them.

The Statue is full of symbolism. The torch is obviously the light of liberty being held up for all the world to see to light the way to freedom. The 7 rays of the diadem represent the 7 continents where liberty's light is ment to shine. At her feet are the broken shackles of tyranny. & the tablet is inscribed with the date 4 JULY MDCCLXXVI, the date of the Declaration of Independence.

I view the Statue as the most beautiful woman here on Earth. That is because she symbolizes the God given gift of freedom. She is a reminder of what my Granfather Giovanni Stasi & the other Italiano neighbors & relatives came to America for. She symbolizes their hopes & dreams & the opportunities for them to come true.

The meaning of the Statue to myself & countless others is best expressed by this poem written by Emma Lazarus. It was written for a contest to raise money for the pedestal. There is a bronze plaque with the poem on a wall of the Statues's base.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. " Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

"The New Colossus" 1883

Over the years there have been various salutes to the Statue. In 1985 when she was undergoing restoration Ken Burns did a PBS special fittingly called The Statue of Liberty. There was also an album of music called They Come to America that was released to raise funds for the restoration. In the 70s Schoolhouse Rock did a segment called The Great American Melting Pot that was about the immigration experience with "Lovely Lady Liberty & her book of recipes". Books have been written about her story. She has been lauded in song. She has been used as a prop in movies & in advertising. She has been parodied. & still her light shines, even when we have't appreciated it as we should.

Here is a neat video of that has the Statue singing the National Anthem:

Here is another song in her honor: Lady Liberty Anthem:

Happy Birthday Lovely Lady Liberty. May we never forget what you stand for, Liberty & Freedom for all. May we defend everyone's right to that liberty from conception to natural death. For when we don't stand up & defend it for the least we risk loosing it for all. Lord, grant this prayer!