Statue of Liberty Unveiling Ceremony: US President Grover Cleveland officially unveils the Statue of Liberty. Designed by Frederic Bartholdi, the statue was donated by the French people to the Americans as a sign of friendship. The 152-foot-tall copper and steel sculpture, depicting a woman raising a torch above her head, was constructed in France and, disassembled, shipped to New York. Rebuilt on Bedloe’s Island, New York, the monument was unveiled on October 28, 1886. Six years later, Ellis Island, adjacent to Bedloe’s Island, became the main port of entry for immigrants. Over the next thirty years, the Statue of Liberty welcomed 12 million emigrants to their new homeland.
