The history of the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty, officially named Liberty Enlightening the World, is a monument symbolizing the United States, and is one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. It welcomes visitors, immigrants and returning Americans travelling by ship. For many years, it was one of the first glances of the United States for millions of immigrants and visitors after returning from ocean voyages.
A sculptor by the name of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue, and Gustave Eiffel (the man who designed the Eiffel Tower) was responsible for the iron framework underneath the copper plating. It is placed near the entrance to New York City harbor, on a small island known as Liberty Island.
The statue is of a woman with a book in one hand and a torch held high in her other hand. It stands on the top of a giant pedestal. The entire structure is 305 feet (93 m) tall from the ground to the tip of the torch. The statue is the central part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, administered by the National Park Service. The National Monument also includes Ellis Island.
The Statue of Liberty commemorates the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. It was given to the United States by the people of France, to represent the friendship between the two countries established during the American Revolution. It represents the political freedom for new immigrants to America, and is known around the world. The building project of the statue was sponsored by ordinary citizens of both countries, and it took a very long time to raise enough money to finish construction.
The construction of the statue began in Paris in 1875 and was not completed until 1884. Crews worked round the clock, seven days a week, for nine years to finish the Statue of Liberty. Various parts of the statue were on display throughout Paris as they were completed. When it was complete in 1885, the statue was broken down into 350 pieces – which were packed in 214 crates – and then shipped to New York City. It took 4 months just to put the Statue of Liberty back together again!
The Statue of Liberty was officially dedicated and unveiled on October 28, 1886. A million people attended the parade and other festivities that were held that day to celebrate the event.
In October 1924, the Statue of Liberty became a national monument, and in 1982 it was restored at a cost of $ 87 million. Two years later, in 1984, the monument was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
GLOSSARY
liberty [ˈlɪbɪti] – libertà
monument [ˈmɒnjʊmənt] – monumento
to symbolize [tə ˈsɪmbəlaɪz] – simbolizzare
recognizable [ˈrekəɡnaɪzəbəl] – riconoscibile
glance [ɡlɑːns] – sguardo
voyage [ˈvɔɪɪdʒ] – viaggio
sculptor [ˈskʌlptə] – scultore
to design [tə dɪˈzaɪn] – progettare
responsible for [rɪˈspɒnsəbəl fɔː] – responsabile di qualcosa
iron framework [ˈaɪən ˈfreɪmwɜːk] – intelaiatura di ferro
underneath [ˌʌndəˈniːθ] – sotto
copper plating [ˈkɒpə ˈpleɪtɪŋ] – rivestimento di rame
to be placed [tə bi ˈpleɪst] – essere posizionato
torch [tɔːtʃ] – torcia
held high [held haɪ] – tenere in alto
pedestal [ˈpedɪstəl] – piedistallo
structure [ˈstrʌktʃə] – struttura
tip [tɪp] – punta
to be administered [tə bi ədˈmɪnɪstəd] – essere amministrato
to include [tə ɪnˈkluːd] – includere
to commemorate [tə kəˈmeməreɪt] – commemorare
signing of … [ˈsaɪnɪŋ ɒv… ] – la firma di qualcosa
Declaration of Independence [ˌdekləˈreɪʃən əv ˌɪndɪˈpendəns] – Dichiarazione di indipendenza
to represent [təˌriːprɪˈzent] – rappresentare
to be established [tə bi ɪˈstæblɪʃt] – essere avviato
revolution [ˌrevəˈluːʃən] – rivoluzione
freedom [ˈfriːdəm] – ibertà
to be sponsored by [tə bi ˈspɒnsəd baɪ] – essere sponsorizzato da
ordinary [ˈɔːdɪnri] – ordinario
citizen [ˈsɪtɪzən] – cittadino
to raise money [tə reɪz ˈmʌni] – raccogliere denaro
construction [kənˈstrʌkʃən] – costruzione
to be completed [tə bi kəmˈpliːtɪd] – essere completato
crew [kruː] – squadra, gruppo
round the clock [raʊnd ðə ˈklɒk] – 24 ore su 24
various [ˈveərɪəs] – vari
to be on display [tə bi ɒn dɪˈspleɪ] – essere in mostra
to be broken down into … [tə bi ˈbrəʊkən daʊn ˈɪntə… ] – essere suddiviso in …
crate [kreɪt] – cassa
to ship [tə ʃɪp] – spedito
to put back together [tə ˈpʊt bæk təˈɡeðə] – rimettere insieme
officially [əˈfɪʃəli] – ufficialmente
to be dedicated [tə bi ˈdedɪkeɪtɪd] – essere dedicato a
to be unveiled [tə bi ˌʌnˈveɪld] – essere presentato
to attend [tu əˈtend] – partecipare a qualcosa
festivity [feˈstɪvɪti] – festività
to celebrate [tə ˈselɪbreɪt] – celebrare
event [ɪˈvent] – evento
to be restored [tə bi rɪˈstɔːd] – essere restaurato
World Heritage [wɜːld ˈherɪtɪdʒ] – Patrimonio dell’Umanità
United Nations [juːˈnaɪtɪd ˈneɪʃənz] – Nazioni Unite, ONU
