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Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
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Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
The unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in 1886 forever changed the New York skyline. Designed by Frederic Bartholdi, the statue was a gift from France – although Americans raised the funds for the pedestal she stands on. Only dignitaries were invited to attend the statue’s official dedication ceremony, but an estimated one million people took part in a parade and festivities around New York to mark the occasion. Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| Summer 1878 | Statue's head and plans for completion placed on display at Paris World's Fair, Exposition Universelle. |
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| Summer 1885 | Fundraising efforts, spurred on by Joseph Pulitzer, collect money to complete pedestal. |
| October 28, 1886 | Dedication ceremony, presided over by President Grover Cleveland. |
