59. Statue of Liberty history

VOA Learning English, welcome to This is America.  I'm Steve Ember.

Today we tell about the Statue of Liberty.  The huge¹, green statue celebrates² American freedom³.  It has served as the guardian of New York Harbor⁴ for more than a century⁵. Come along with us⁶, as we visit “Lady Liberty.” The dedication plaque⁷ on the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty may be⁸ one of the most⁹ often¹⁰ photographed works of art in the world.  

A French sculptor¹¹, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, designed the statue in the late 1800s.  Today the monument continues to present a beautiful sight¹² on the New York skyline¹³.  But it came close to¹⁴ never arriving in the United States.

The materials required for building¹⁵ the Statue of Liberty were almost lost at sea¹⁶.  In 1885, the ship carrying¹⁷ those materials almost sank¹⁸ in stormy seas19.  Bartholdi’s dream of a huge sculpture might never have been fulfilled²⁰.

Luckily²¹, the ship survived the rough²² seas.  It arrived safely²³ in June of 1885.  By the next year, the Statue of Liberty had arisen²⁴ on what was then called Bedloe’s Island.  The statue was officially opened that year.  Many years later, the island was given²⁵ a new name: Liberty Island. She's a Survivor²⁶

 The Statue of Liberty has survived damage caused by²⁷ time, visits by millions of people and the weather²⁸.  It stood firm during²⁹ a destructive storm³⁰, Hurricane³¹ Sandy, which struck the East Coast³² in October of 2012.  But Liberty Island suffered³³ damage, requiring major repairs³⁴.                              

      

“Lady Liberty”, as many people call the statue, was a gift³⁵ from the people of France.  Its full name³⁶ is “Liberty Enlightening³⁷ the World.”

The United States and France have been friends and allies³⁸ since the American Revolution.  France helped the American colonial armies³⁹ defeat⁴⁰ British forces. The war officially ended in 1783.  A few years later, the French rebelled against their king.                 

                                         

A French historian and political leader, Edouard-Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye, had the idea for the statue.  In 1865, he suggested that the French and the Americans build a monument together to celebrate freedom.  Bartholdi agreed⁴¹ to design it.

In 1875, the French established an organization to raise money⁴² for Bartholdi’s creation.  Two years later, an American group was formed to raise money to pay for a pedestal.  American architect Richard Morris Hunt was chosen⁴³ to design this support structure.  The pedestal would stand 47 meters high.

In France, Bartholdi designed a model of the Statue of Liberty.  Then he built⁴⁴ a series of larger copies of the very small model statue.  Workers created a wooden form⁴⁵ covered with plaster⁴⁶ for each part.  They placed⁴⁷ 300 pieces of copper⁴⁸ on the forms.  The copper skin⁴⁹ was about⁵⁰ two and one half millimeters thick⁵¹, the same as⁵² two American pennies⁵³ placed back-to-back.

The statue also needed a structure that could hold its weight⁵⁴ -- more than 200 tons⁵⁵.  French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel created the new technology.  Later, he designed the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.                                                              

Eiffel and others worked in Paris to produce a strong support system⁵⁶ for the statue.  The design also had to have the ability to move a little in strong winds⁵⁷.  Lady Liberty has continued to stand during many a storm, including Hurricane Sandy.

VOCABULARY

1. huge = imenso (a)
2. celebrates = comemora
3. freedom = liberdade
4. Harbor = porto
5. century = século
6. Come along with us = venha junto conosco
7. dedication plaque = placa de dedicação
8. may be = pode ser
9. one of the most = uma das mais
10. often = frequentemente
11. French sculptor = escultor Francêsa
12. beautiful sight = linda vista
13. skyline = linha do horizonte
14. came close to = chegou perto de
15. materials required for building = materiais necessários para construir
16. were almost lost at sea = foram quase perdidos no mar
17. carrying = transportando
18. sank = afundou
19. stormy seas = mares tempestuosos
20. might never have been fulfilled = poderia nunca ter sido realizado
21. Luckily = felizmente
22. rough = rude, grosseiro
23. arrived safely = chegou em segurança
24. had arisen = tinha surgido
25. was given = foi dado
26. Survivor = sobrevivente
27. damage caused by = danos causados por
28. weather = clima
29. stood firm during = manteve-se firme durante
30. storm = tempestade
31. Hurricane = furacão
32. struck the East Coast = atingiu a costa leste
33. suffered = sofreu
34. requiring major repairs = exigindo grandes reparos
35. gift = presente
36. full name = nome completo
37. Enlightening = iluminando
38. allies = aliados
39. armies = exercitos
40. defeat = derrotar
41. agreed = concordou
42. raise money = levantar dinheiro
43. chosen = escolhido
44. built = construiu
45. wooden form = forma de madeira
46. plaster = gesso
47. placed = colocaram
48. copper = cobre
49. skin = casca
50. about = aproximadamente
51. thick = espessura
52. the same as = o mesmo que
53. pennies = plural de penny (moeda de 1 cent)
54. could hold its weight = poderia suportar seu peso
55. tons = toneladas
56. strong support system = forte sistema de suporte
57. strong winds = ventos fortes