A Monument Dedicated to Liberty
On October 28, 1886, crowds gathered in New York to celebrate a remarkable new monument. Out in the harbor stood a towering woman holding a torch high above her head. The Statue of Liberty was being dedicated, or officially presented for its public purpose. But the story behind that day had begun years earlier, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
The statue was a gift from the people of France to the United States. Its formal name is Liberty Enlightening the World. French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the figure as a symbol of liberty. In one hand, she holds a torch; in the other, she carries a tablet. Broken chains near her feet add to the idea of freedom.
Building a giant
Creating such an enormous figure required more than carving a solid sculpture. Workers shaped thin sheets of copper to form the statue’s outer surface. Copper can be hammered into shapes, but the thin skin needed support to stand high above the harbor.
- monument:
- A structure made to honor or remind people of something important.
- sculptor:
- An artist who creates three-dimensional works of art.
- immense:
- Extremely large.
- withstand:
- To hold up against a force or difficulty.
- assembled:
- Put together from separate parts.
- immigrants:
- People who move to another country to live.
- restoration:
- The work of repairing something and bringing it back to good condition.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
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Summarize
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Purpose
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Structure
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Vocabulary
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Writing Prompts
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the article, and which two details support it?
- 2How do the statue’s torch and broken chains help express its meaning?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“A Monument Dedicated to Liberty” is a explanatory article reading passage about Statue of Liberty, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (517 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.