On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was officially dedicated in New York Harbor, with President Grover Cleveland overseeing the ceremony. This October marks 140 years since that day.
Most of us know the statue by sight: the raised torch, the copper skin turned green with age, the tablet in her arm. Fewer of us know the story under her feet. The statue almost had nowhere to stand. In the end, the place she stands was paid for mostly by ordinary people giving a dollar or less.
A Gift Without a Home
The idea started in France. In 1865, a French political thinker named Édouard de Laboulaye proposed a monumental gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. The sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue. Gustave Eiffel, the engineer later famous for his tower in Paris, designed the iron framework inside it.
The plan was a partnership. France would provide the statue, and Americans would build the pedestal. The statue was built in France between 1875 and 1884. Then the American side ran into trouble. In 1884, the American Committee for the Statue of Liberty ran out of money for the pedestal.
On June 17, 1885, the French ship Isère arrived in New York Harbor carrying the statue in 350 pieces, packed in 214 crates. With no finished pedestal, the crates were unloaded onto Bedloe’s Island, now Liberty Island, while officials hoped to raise the rest of the money. One of the great symbols of the world sat in boxes, waiting.
“Let Us Not Wait for the Millionaires”
A newspaper publisher named Joseph Pulitzer decided to act. He used his paper, the New York World, to appeal straight to the public. In an article on March 16, 1885, the paper made its appeal with a line that still rings today: “Let us not wait for the millionaires to give us this money.”
Pulitzer made a promise that made all the difference. The World would print the name of every person who gave, no matter how small the gift. A child’s few coins counted the same as anyone else’s.
People answered. According to the National Park Service, the paper sometimes ran human-interest stories that came in with the donations, including stories of children raising money to give. By August 11, 1885, the World had collected more than $100,000. More than 120,000 people had given, and most gifts were about one dollar or less.
With that money, work on the pedestal could go on. Designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, the pedestal was finished in April 1886. The statue was put back together on top of it, and that October she was dedicated as Liberty Enlightening the World.
A Poem for the Pedestal
The fundraising drew in artists too. In 1883, the poet Emma Lazarus wrote a sonnet called “The New Colossus” as a contribution to a fundraiser for the statue’s pedestal, according to the Library of Congress. In 1903, her poem was placed on a bronze plaque inside the pedestal. Its best-known lines say:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,”
— Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus” (1883)
Bartholdi added another quiet detail that many visitors miss: a broken shackle and chains at the statue’s feet, a symbol of the end of slavery.
What the Pedestal Teaches Us Today
It is easy to think that big things only happen when big donors, big names or big budgets show up. The story of Lady Liberty’s pedestal says something different. A goal that seemed stuck was finished by thousands of small gifts, given by people who would never be famous, and whose names were printed so everyone could see that each one mattered.
Here are a few lessons for our own families and communities:
- Small is not the same as useless. A single dollar did not build the pedestal. More than 120,000 small gifts did.
- Don’t wait for someone else. Many people may have assumed the wealthy would cover the cost. Ordinary people decided not to wait.
- Honor every gift. Pulitzer’s choice to print every name showed people their part was seen. We can do the same by thanking the quiet helpers in our homes, churches and schools.
- Children can make history too. Stories of kids raising money for the pedestal remind us that young people can do real good.
Scripture tells us not to look down on small beginnings:
“For who hath despised the day of small things?”
— Zechariah 4:10 (KJV)
Maybe you are facing a project, a need or a dream that feels too big right now. Maybe it is a family goal, a ministry, or a neighbor who needs help. The answer may not be one big rescue. It may be many faithful, small steps, offered together and placed in God’s hands. Through every storm, we rise together.
What small gift, from you or someone you love, ended up making a big difference? Share your story in the comments.
Sources: National Park Service, “Joseph Pulitzer” (Statue of Liberty National Monument); National Park Service, “Pulitzer- In Depth” (Statue of Liberty National Monument); National Park Service, “Statue of Liberty Facts”; National Park Service, “The New Colossus”; The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, “Overview + History”; Library of Congress, From the Catbird Seat blog, “The Statue of Liberty and ‘The New Colossus’” (July 6, 2015); King James Bible Online, “Zechariah 4:10”.
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