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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