“Since its dedication on October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty has stood at the gateway to the United States as an icon of freedom and hope for people all over the world. With her torch soaring 305 feet over New York Harbor, this impressive statue was often the first glimpse of the United States spotted by immigrants arriving by sea. Many of these immigrants were fleeing oppression, poverty, and despair, and the Statue of Liberty was their first welcome to the new life they were about to begin in the Land of Opportunity.
“The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from France. It was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel (who also built the iconic tower in Paris that bears his name). The statue depicts Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty, with a torch held high in her right hand and a tablet with the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence inscribed in Roman numerals in her left.”
You can learn a lot more about the Statue of Liberty in an article in the MyHeritage Blog at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/10/lady-liberty-the-statue-that-welcomed-millions-of-immigrants-to-america-turns-135/