Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free… ~ Emma Lazarus

Blogging From A to Z Challenge – S

 “S” is for statue; for this post it’s the Statue of Liberty. 

Lady Liberty was a gift from the people of France and dedicated on October 28, 1886. She was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor, and made of copper. The statue represents Libertas, the Roman goddess, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States, and was a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)

I took the photo above on a trip to the “Big Apple” with my daughter. As I stood there looking up at Miss Liberty, I could only imagine what the immigrants felt when they entered New York Harbor and saw her. They were coming to America to begin a new and better life. She represented the hopes and dreams of some twelve million people who passed through Ellis Island and continues that esteemed purpose to this day.

For more information click this link.