Statue Of Liberty Tablet: Message Inscribed In The Tablet Explained

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States of America, the Statue of Liberty has a rich history behind it.

When people think of the United States or New York, the Statue of Liberty is one thing that comes to mind. Located on Liberty Island in Manhattan, in New York harbor, this statue has held massive significance since its inception in the 1800s.

Today, this statue witnesses about 3.2 million visitors each year.

Built by the French Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the Statue of Liberty was constructed in France between 1875-1885. It was then disassembled and shipped to America, where it was reassembled in 1866. Over the years, parts of this sculpture have been renovated and restored.

Why did this particular statue become so important? What is its significance? What does it represent? And why was it built by the French and gifted to the Americans? What is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty tablet? What does the torch represent?

These are some questions we will discuss in this article. Read on to know more about the inscriptions on the Statue of Liberty.

What does the tablet in the Statue of Liberty's left hand represent?

The Statue of Liberty, first known as the Liberty Enlightening the World or popularly called the Woman with a Torch or Lady Liberty, designed and sculpted by Bartholdi, took a lot of work on the Sculptor’s part.

The Statue of Liberty was designed at a time when America was going through a civil war and its after-effects. The initial thought that Bartholdi had was to place a broken shackle in the left hand of Lady Liberty but that idea was discarded and he settled on keeping a tabula ansata - or a tablet - in the left hand of the Statue. This tabula ansata, or tablet, represented that law holds supreme significance in the United States. While he greatly admired the US Constitution, he simply engraved the tablet with the date of the Declaration of Independence in Roman Characters: July 4, 1776, or as inscribed on the tablet, JULY IV MDCCLXXVI.

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was marked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, just in time for its Centennial Celebrations. It was during this time that it underwent a lot of restoration work and, as a result, was closed off to the public until July 5, 1985.

How long is the tablet on the Statue of Liberty?

The Statue of Liberty is massive.

The monument is about 305 ft (93 m) tall, with the statue being 151.8 ft (46 m) tall and the pedestal on which it is placed about 155 ft (47 m) tall.

The Lady's right arm holding the torch is approximately 50 ft (12.8 m), and the tablet that Lady Liberty is holding is about 23.7 ft (7.19 m).

Inside the Pedestal, there is a bronze plaque Inscription, reading a famous Sonnet by Poet Emma Lazurus, called 'The New Colossus.' You will find below the words that are inscribed.

'Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"'

The 'harbor' inscribed on a bronze plaque of the Statue of Liberty is referring to the New York Harbor where ships containing immigrants would arrive at the bay.

'The golden door' is not an actual door but a metaphorical entryway to the great country of the USA.

The lines 'Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.' implies that the immigrants have been rejected in the overpopulated countries that they come from, and thus they yearn to 'breath free, ' which America would finally allow them.

The 'masses yearning to breathe free.' that the poem refers to are, of course, the masses that came to America looking for freedom.

Why is the Statue of Liberty holding a tablet?

The initial thought that Bartholdi had was to put a pair of Broken Shackles in the left hand of the Statue.

However, in the aftermath of the civil war and the abolishing of slavery, when there was still abundant racism, it was thought a bad idea, perhaps one that would prove divisive and defeat the whole purpose of what this statue is supposed to represent.

The design of the Statue of Liberty in New York, in the form of a lady, was inspired by the Roman goddess Libertas and the Statue is also thus adorned with Roman-style clothing of a Stola and Pella.

The inscription of the tablet of the Statue of Liberty is the date of the American Declaration of Independence, representing the liberty and freedom of America. The torch held in the right hand of the Statue of Liberty symbolizes the Lady showing a path to freedom and welcoming the immigrants who were entering the United States in search of a better and more free life.

The tablet of the Statue of Liberty was also created to represent the importance of the American Constitution and of the Law in America.

What does Lady Liberty's tablet mean?

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was built by a combined effort of the Americans and the French. While the statue itself was constructed by the French, the Pedestal on which it stands was constructed by the Americans.

The Statue of Liberty was declared as a national monument in 1924. The Statue of Liberty was built out of copper and has served as a significant heritage site of the US since it was installed in its place.

The tablet that Lady Liberty holds in her left hand, with the date of American Independence carved on it, represents freedom. The tablet represents the end of colonization by the British and the freedom that the American people achieved on this day. This date marked a major event in American history and, as such, is of utmost importance to the people belonging to this land and those who immigrate here, trying to find freedom and liberty.

The US became an independent nation, a democratic and sovereign republic on this day, and marked the beginning of a new chapter, newer struggles, and newer developments in America. The Civil War, abolition of slavery, the coming together of the 13 British colonies to form one union and become a stronger nation are all things that are reflected by this tablet.

The whole symbolism of Lady Liberty is the upliftment and freedom of the masses. The tablet that the Statue of Liberty holds in her left-hand features the date that freedom to live as per one's own liking began in America. Americans had broken the shackles of servitude of the British colonization and entered a new era of liberty on this day.