Today in History: The Statue of Liberty

Liberty enlightening the world
Today in History–June 19–the Library of Congress features the Statue of Liberty, which arrived in in New York Harbor on this day in 1885. The 151-foot-tall statue was a gift from France to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. Find out more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more primary sources related to this symbol of freedom and democracy. You might also be interested in checking out these statue-related PSN posts.

Statue of Liberty primary source set

Selected Views of the Statue of Liberty

More Statue of Liberty images

Statue of Liberty (film, 1898)

The Statue of Liberty Grand March (sheet music, 1884)

Liberty sheet music

The Statue of Liberty: Topics in Chronicling America timeline & select newspaper articles

Statue of Liberty 1885-86 newspaper coverage

Statue of Liberty books

Statue of Liberty legislation

The Statue of Liberty Arrived at Bedloe’s Island from America’s Library

Teaching resources

Library of Congress blog posts

The Statue of Liberty was created to celebrate freed slaves, not immigrants, its new museum recounts Washington Post May 23, 2019

Primary Source Spotlight: U.S. Symbols