On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was officially unveiled in a rainy autumn day filled with festivities organized by the Franco-American Union and the City of New York. The dedication ceremonies honored both the French and American people, as well as the Statue of Liberty contributors, including renowned sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. Édouard René Lefèbvre de Laboulaye, often considered the “father of the Statue of Liberty”, died in 1883 before the dedication. More than 1 million people attended the celebrations on and off Bedloe’s Island, now known as Liberty Island, including then-president Grover Cleveland. Festivities involved the first-ever ticker-tape parade in honor of the statue, with firefighters, soldiers, and veterans marching down Broadway to the sounds of 100 brass bands, cannons, and sirens.
Over 2,000 men attended the official unveiling on the island, and the New York State Woman Suffrage Association chartered a boat for uninvited women to view the reveal from the water. A French flag was draped over the Statue of Liberty’s face to hide her identity before the big reveal. Bartholdi, who stood inside her crown awaiting the cue to reveal his masterpiece, prematurely dropped the flag in the middle of a speech by Sen. William M. Evarts, chair of the American Committee. Celebratory sounds broke out from cannons to brass bands to steam whistles in the harbor, welcoming Lady Liberty home. President Cleveland formally accepted the Statue of Liberty from France as a gift of friendship, nodding to Bartholdi as “the greatest man in America today”. Leading up to the great unveiling, Bartholdi expressed that “The dream of my life is accomplished; I see the symbol of unity and friendship between two nations — two great republics.”
The dedication ceremonies and celebrations on the day of the Statue of Liberty’s unveiling included a fleet of 300 ships decorated in red, forming a naval parade to Bedloe’s Island as many vessels aimed to get a closer look through the fog and gloomy weather. The NPS reported that the first-ever ticker-tape parade in honor of the statue of “Liberty Enlightening the World” took place during the festivities. The official unveiling was a momentous occasion attended by millions of people, with Bartholdi standing inside the crown awaiting the reveal of his masterpiece. Despite a rainy autumn day, the celebrations were filled with excitement and patriotism, with cannons, brass bands, and steam whistles in the harbor welcoming Lady Liberty home.
The Statue of Liberty serves as one of America’s strongest symbols of unity and freedom, and its unveiling was a historic day commemorated with grand festivities and ceremonies. The dedication ceremonies honored both the French and American people, as well as the contributors to the Statue of Liberty, including Bartholdi. More than a million people attended the celebrations both on and off Bedloe’s Island, now known as Liberty Island, including President Grover Cleveland. The unveiling was attended by over 2,000 men on the island, with a French flag draped over the statue’s face before the big reveal. Bartholdi, expressing his joy at seeing the symbol of unity between two nations, prematurely dropped this flag during the ceremony, with celebratory sounds breaking out from cannons, brass bands, and other instruments in the harbor.
The Statue of Liberty holds significant historical importance in American culture, symbolizing unity and friendship between nations. The dedication ceremonies and celebrations surrounding its unveiling were attended by millions of people and involved a range of festivities, including the first-ever ticker-tape parade in honor of the statue. The Statue of Liberty was officially accepted as a gift of friendship from France by then-President Cleveland during the dedication ceremonies, with Bartholdi praised as “the greatest man in America today”. Despite the rainy weather on the day of the unveiling, the celebrations were filled with patriotic spirit and excitement as Lady Liberty was welcomed home in grand fashion. Bartholdi’s dream of creating a symbol of unity and friendship between two great republics was realized on the day of the statue’s unveiling, marking a historic moment in American history.
