Statue of Liberty, also called as Liberty Enlightening the World,  is a statue given by France to the United States in the late 19th century, located at Liberty Island in the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor as a greeting to all.  It is one of the most familiar icons of the U.S. worldwide is symbolizing liberty and escape from oppression.  It is also a special symbol of libertarians. 

Dedicated on October 28, 1886, the copper statue honors the centennial of the United States and is a sign of friendship between the two nations.  Auguste Barthol is the sculptor in which he had a real American model, Isabella Eugenie Boyer, the wife of Isaac Singer, the sewing-machine industrialist while Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower, is the engineer of the internal support structure. 

The thought of giving an oversize representation of republican virtues to a "sister" republic across the sea acted as a focus for the republican reason in opposition to other political opponents.  A torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left are held by Lady Liberty. The caption JULY IV MDCCLXXVI—July 4, 1776, which is the date of the acceptance of the Declaration of Independence is shown in the tablet. One of her feet stands on chains. The seven spikes in the crown signify the seven seas or seven continents.

It was arranged that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were to build the Statue and its setting up in the US. Public fees, different forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the means used to raise the 2,250,000 francs in France. While in the United States, profit theatrical events, art exhibitions, public sales and prize fights helped in providing desirable funds.

Led by William M. Evarts, fundraising for the pedestal was going slowly. Wanting to help, Joseph Pulitzer opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, The World, to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer condemned both the rich and the middle class for their apathy and inaction; his editorial campaign of criticism was successful in inspiring the people of America to donate.
It was July 1884 when the statue was finished in France and on June 17, 1885 it arrived in New York Harbor on board the French frigate Isere.  The Statue was reconstructed on her new pedestal for four months. On October 28, 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty by U.S. President Grover Cleveland took place in front of thousands of addressees. She was a centennial gift ten years belated.

Since National Park Service managed all historic areas, on October 15, 1966, the Statue of Liberty National Monument, together with Ellis Island and Liberty Island, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

In 1984, the Statue of Liberty was included to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's list of World Heritage Sites. It is one of only four existing man-made sites in the United States to be named as such, the others being Independence Hall, Pueblo de Taos, and the combined site of the University of Virginia and Monticello.

From September 11, 2001 to August 3, 2004, the statue and island were closed to intensify the security due to the destruction of the World Trade Center. At present, the museum and ten-story pedestal are open for visitation. The inside of the statue is still closed, though a glass ceiling in the pedestal permits to view the Eiffel's iron framework.