Learn / Events / 19th Century / Statue of Liberty Dedicated

Statue of Liberty Dedicated

October 28, 1886 · 19th Century

Art

On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor before thousands of spectators following a city parade and nautical procession. Designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi with an iron framework by Gustave Eiffel, the copper statue was a gift from France commemorating the Franco-American alliance. The statue stands 93 meters tall including its pedestal. Bartholdi prematurely unveiled the statue during the ceremony by misreading a pause in Senator Evarts's speech.

Key Figures

Grover ClevelandFrédéric Auguste BartholdiGustave EiffelEdouard de Laboulaye

Locations

Bedloe's IslandNew York Harbor

Topics

New York HarborAbolition of SlaveryJULY IV MDCCLXXVILibertasLiberty IslandStatue of Liberty

Connected Events — 1 Connection

The Statue of Liberty's dedication as a symbol of freedom and liberty created political pressure on the Cleveland administration to address the contradiction of Native American exclusion from American liberty, influencing the timing and framing of assimilationist policies The Dawes Act

1887 · Law · 19th Century

The Time Detectives® · Cadet Mission

Investigate This Event

Place it on the timeline. Earn points. Master the connections.

Start →

New to The Time Detectives? Learn what it is →