"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
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.
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 Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor has
greeted generations of newcomers to the shores
of the United States. Now a National Monument,
this world-famous symbol of freedom was
presented to the United States by France and was
dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorating
the alliance of the two nations during the American
Revolution.
The 152-foot figure, raised on a 150- foot
pedestal, is the work of Auguste Bartholdi. It
underwent intensive renovation and reopened with
a gala celebration on its 100th birthday on July 4,
1986.
