On October 28th, 1886, the people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship.

　　In 1876, Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was asked to design a sculpture in memory of the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its put-together here in the United States. However, lack of funds was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Back in America, fund raising for the pedestal was going particularly slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer used his newspaper to encourage the people of America to donate.

　　Financing for the pedestal was completed in August 1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885. The Statue was put together on her new pedestal in four months’ time. On October 28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of people. She was a centennial gift ten years later.

　　There are 25 windows in the crown representing precious stones found on the earth and the heaven’s rays shining over the world. The seven rays of the Statue’s crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. The tablet which the Statue holds in her left hand reads “July 4th, 1776.”

　　Help :

　　Statue of Liberty n. 自由女神(位于美国纽约)

　　in recognition of 承认...而 为酬答...而 按照(功劳等)...

　　democracy n. 民主政治, 民主主义

　　sculptor n. 雕刻家

　　in memory of纪念, 追念

　　centennial n. 百年纪念

　　agree upon 对...意见一致

　　pedestal n. 基架, 底座, 基础

　　financing n. 筹措资金

　　Think about :

　　What is the significance of Statue of Liberty ?

作者：佚名
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