Review of "Ken Burns Statue of Liberty," PBS video

 Review of

Ken Burns Statue of Liberty, PBS video

Five out of five stars

Excellent history of an American icon

 There is no more powerful symbol of American openness to others than the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. For many people who immigrated to the United States, it was one of the first things that they saw. It was also one characteristic of America that they would recognize.

 This Ken Burns documentary tells the story of how the statue was conceived as an idea to express solidarity between the United States and France through the final construction on Liberty Island in New York harbor. Like so many large new things, the idea faced a great deal of skepticism at first. It took some time to convince people that it was a worthy idea and to provide the funds for it.

 One of the most interesting facts of the history of the statue is the creation of the models before the final statue was cast. Several models, including one that was life size, were built. The pedestal was funded by the United States and the statue itself by the people of France. Hundreds of people worked to build it and it was a significant piece of engineering to create it, dismantle it in France for transport to America and then to put it together in place. Some of that work is illustrated in the video.

 This is an excellent video for history classes as well as for people that would like to know the history of one of the world’s most famous statues.

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