October 28, 2011

Fireworks, a flotilla of ships, and a reading of Emma Lazarus’s  “The New Colossus” were among the events scheduled for a celebration on October 28, 2011, to mark the 125^th anniversary of the dedication of Statue of Liberty. Lazarus’s poem includes the famous lines, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free… .” In addition, five webcams attached to Lady Liberty’s torch were to begin streaming views of New York City and New Jersey unseen by anyone except maintenance crews since the torch was closed to tourists in 1916. From the 1890′s to the 1920′s, millions of immigrants passed the Statue of Liberty as they sailed into New York Harbor to begin lives as Americans.

The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and a beacon of freedom for immigrants, stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. George Goodwin, Monkmeyer

The statue’s complete name is Liberty Enlightening the World. It was given to the people of the United States by the people of France in 1884 as an expression of friendship and of the ideal of liberty shared by both peoples. French citizens donated the money to build the statue, and people in the United States raised the funds to construct the foundation and the pedestal (base). The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and chose its site. Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer who later built the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed the iron framework that supports the statue’s copper covering. Construction was completed in April 1886. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

On October 29, 2011, the interior spaces of the statue will be closed for a year-long renovation project. The $27.25-million project to make the interior safer and more accessible will include installing improved stairways and upgrading electrical and fire-safety systems, and elevators. Liberty Island, on which the statue stands, will remain open, as will the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. The statue underwent a series of major repairs in 1986. About 3.5 million people visit the Statue of Liberty each year.

Related World Book articles:

• Hunt, Richard M.
• Statue of Liberty National Monument

The administration of President Barack Obama announces that federal officials will review separately all 300,000 cases of illegal immigrants currently threatened with deportation. Deportation is is the action a government takes when it forces an alien to leave the country and return to the place where the alien was born or had lived. According to Janet Napolitano, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, deportation cases will be ranked based on security risk. Individuals who have not committed crimes and who are not considered a threat to public safety may be allowed to stay in the United States. Federal official are to take into account whether immigrants are married to U.S. citizens and their contributions to the community.

The new policy is expected to help thousands of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as young children and want to stay to attend college or serve in the armed forces. Critics labeled the policy change a “blanket amnesty” for large numbers of illegal immigrants. (Amnesty is forgiveness by a government for crimes against it).

Additional World Book articles:

• Citizenship and Immigration Services, United States
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States
• Immigration and Naturalization Service
• Immigration Politics 2006 (special report)
• Passport to Reform: The INS and Homeland Security (special report)

The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor will be closed for repairs for a year beginning on October 28, 2011, the 125^th anniversary of the monument’s dedication. The $27.25-million renovation will make the interior safer and more accessible, says United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. The project will include installing improved stairways and upgrading electrical and fire-safety systems, elevators, and bathrooms. Liberty Island, on which the statue stands, will remain open, as will the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. About 3.5 million people visit the Statue of Liberty each year.

Statue of Liberty

The statue’s complete name is Liberty Enlightening the World. It was given to the people of the United States by the people of France in 1884 as an expression of friendship and of the ideal of liberty shared by both peoples. French citizens donated the money to build the statue, and people in the United States raised the funds to construct the foundation and the pedestal (base). The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and chose its site. Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer who later built the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed the iron framework that supports the statue’s copper covering. Construction began in 1884 and was completed in April 1886.

Related World Book articles:

• Hunt, Richard M.
• Immigration
• Lazarus, Emma