document_title: Statue of Liberty

question_text: what year did the french give us the statue of liberty

question_tokens: what year did the french give us the statue of liberty

text: Statue of Liberty

text: Design and construction process

text: Origin

text: According to the National Park Service, the idea for the Statue of Liberty was first proposed by Édouard René de Laboulaye, president of the French Anti-Slavery Society and a prominent and important political thinker of his time. The project is traced to a mid-1865 conversation between de Laboulaye, a staunch abolitionist, and Frédéric Bartholdi, a sculptor. In after-dinner conversation at his home near Versailles, Laboulaye, an ardent supporter of the Union in the American Civil War, is supposed to have said: "If a monument should rise in the United States, as a memorial to their independence, I should think it only natural if it were built by united effort—a common work of both our nations."[7]  The National Park Service, in a 2000 report, however, deemed this a legend traced to an 1885 fundraising pamphlet, and that the statue was most likely conceived in 1870.[8] In another essay on their website, the Park Service suggested that Laboulaye was minded to honor the Union victory and its consequences, "With the abolition of slavery and the Union's victory in the Civil War in 1865, Laboulaye's wishes of freedom and democracy were turning into a reality in the United States. In order to honor these achievements, Laboulaye proposed that a gift be built for the United States on behalf of France. Laboulaye hoped that by calling attention to the recent achievements of the United States, the French people would be inspired to call for their own democracy in the face of a repressive monarchy."[9]

text: According to sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who later recounted the story, Laboulaye's comment was not intended as a proposal, but it inspired Bartholdi.[7] Given the repressive nature of the regime of Napoleon III, Bartholdi took no immediate action on the idea except to discuss it with Laboulaye. Bartholdi was in any event busy with other possible projects; in the late 1860s, he approached Isma'il Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, with a plan to build Progress or Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia,[10] a huge lighthouse in the form of an ancient Egyptian female fellah or peasant, robed and holding a torch aloft, at the northern entrance to the Suez Canal in Port Said. Sketches and models were made of the proposed work, though it was never erected. There was a classical precedent for the Suez proposal, the Colossus of Rhodes: an ancient bronze statue of the Greek god of the sun, Helios. This statue is believed to have been over 100 feet (30 m) high, and it similarly stood at a harbor entrance and carried a light to guide ships.[11]

text: Any large project was further delayed by the Franco-Prussian War, in which Bartholdi served as a major of militia. In the war, Napoleon III was captured and deposed. Bartholdi's home province of Alsace was lost to the Prussians (Alsace-Lorraine), and a more liberal republic was installed in France.[7] As Bartholdi had been planning a trip to the United States, he and Laboulaye decided the time was right to discuss the idea with influential Americans.[12] In June 1871, Bartholdi crossed the Atlantic, with letters of introduction signed by Laboulaye.[13]

text: Arriving at New York Harbor, Bartholdi focused on Bedloe's Island (now named Liberty Island) as a site for the statue, struck by the fact that vessels arriving in New York had to sail past it. He was delighted to learn that the island was owned by the United States government—it had been ceded by the New York State Legislature in 1800 for harbor defense. It was thus, as he put it in a letter to Laboulaye: "land common to all the states."[14] As well as meeting many influential New Yorkers, Bartholdi visited President Ulysses S. Grant, who assured him that it would not be difficult to obtain the site for the statue.[15] Bartholdi crossed the United States twice by rail, and met many Americans who he thought would be sympathetic to the project.[13] But he remained concerned that popular opinion on both sides of the Atlantic was insufficiently supportive of the proposal, and he and Laboulaye decided to wait before mounting a public campaign.[16]

text: Bartholdi had made a first model of his concept in 1870.[17] The son of a friend of Bartholdi's, U.S. artist John LaFarge, later maintained that Bartholdi made the first sketches for the statue during his U.S. visit at La Farge's Rhode Island studio. Bartholdi continued to develop the concept following his return to France.[17] He also worked on a number of sculptures designed to bolster French patriotism after the defeat by the Prussians. One of these was the Lion of Belfort, a monumental sculpture carved in sandstone below the fortress of Belfort, which during the war had resisted a Prussian siege for over three months. The defiant lion, 73 feet (22 m) long and half that in height, displays an emotional quality characteristic of Romanticism, which Bartholdi would later bring to the Statue of Liberty.[18]

text: Design, style, and symbolism

text: Bartholdi and Laboulaye considered how best to express the idea of American liberty.[19] In early American history, two female figures were frequently used as cultural symbols of the nation.[20] One of these symbols, the personified Columbia, was seen as an embodiment of the United States in the manner that Britannia was identified with the United Kingdom and Marianne came to represent France. Columbia had supplanted the earlier figure of an Indian princess, which had come to be regarded as uncivilized and derogatory toward Americans.[20] The other significant female icon in American culture was a representation of Liberty, derived from Libertas, the goddess of freedom widely worshipped in ancient Rome, especially among emancipated slaves. A Liberty figure adorned most American coins of the time,[19] and representations of Liberty appeared in popular and civic art, including Thomas Crawford's Statue of Freedom (1863) atop the dome of the United States Capitol Building.[19]

text: Artists of the 18th and 19th centuries striving to evoke republican ideals commonly used representations of Libertas as an allegorical symbol.[19]  A figure of Liberty was also depicted on the Great Seal of France.[19]  However, Bartholdi and Laboulaye avoided an image of revolutionary liberty such as that depicted in Eugène Delacroix's famed Liberty Leading the People (1830). In this painting, which commemorates France's Revolution of 1830, a half-clothed Liberty leads an armed mob over the bodies of the fallen.[20] Laboulaye had no sympathy for revolution, and so Bartholdi's figure would be fully dressed in flowing robes.[20] Instead of the impression of violence in the Delacroix work, Bartholdi wished to give the statue a peaceful appearance and chose a torch, representing progress, for the figure to hold.[21]

text:
Crawford's statue was designed in the early 1850s. It was originally to be crowned with a pileus, the cap given to emancipated slaves in ancient Rome. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, a Southerner who would later serve as President of the Confederate States of America, was concerned that the pileus would be taken as an abolitionist symbol. He ordered that it be changed to a helmet.[22]
Delacroix's figure wears a pileus,[20] and Bartholdi at first considered placing one on his figure as well. Instead, he used a diadem, or crown, to top its head.[23] In so doing, he avoided a reference to Marianne, who invariably wears a pileus.[24] The seven rays form a halo or aureole.[25] They evoke the sun, the seven seas, and the seven continents,[26] and represent another means, besides the torch, whereby Liberty enlightens the world.[21]

text: Bartholdi's early models were all similar in concept: a female figure in neoclassical style representing liberty, wearing a stola and pella (gown and cloak, common in depictions of Roman goddesses) and holding a torch aloft. According to popular accounts, the face was modeled after that of Charlotte Beysser Bartholdi, the sculptor's mother,[27] but Regis Huber, the curator of the Bartholdi Museum is on record as saying that this, as well as other similar speculations, have no basis in fact.[28] He designed the figure with a strong, uncomplicated silhouette, which would be set off well by its dramatic harbor placement and allow passengers on vessels entering New York Bay to experience a changing perspective on the statue as they proceeded toward Manhattan. He gave it bold classical contours and applied simplified modeling, reflecting the huge scale of the project and its solemn purpose.[21] Bartholdi wrote of his technique:

text: The surfaces should be broad and simple, defined by a bold and clear design, accentuated in the important places. The enlargement of the details or their multiplicity is to be feared. By exaggerating the forms, in order to render them more clearly visible, or by enriching them with details, we would destroy the proportion of the work. Finally, the model, like the design, should have a summarized character, such as one would give to a rapid sketch. Only it is necessary that this character should be the product of volition and study, and that the artist, concentrating his knowledge, should find the form and the line in its greatest simplicity.[29]

text: Bartholdi made alterations in the design as the project evolved. Bartholdi considered having Liberty hold a broken chain, but decided this would be too divisive in the days after the Civil War. The erected statue does stride over a broken chain, half-hidden by her robes and difficult to see from the ground.[23] Bartholdi was initially uncertain of what to place in Liberty's left hand; he settled on a tabula ansata,[30] used to evoke the concept of law.[31] Though Bartholdi greatly admired the United States Constitution, he chose to inscribe "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" on the tablet, thus associating the date of the country's Declaration of Independence with the concept of liberty.[30]

text:
Bartholdi interested his friend and mentor, architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, in the project.[28] As chief engineer,[28] Viollet-le-Duc designed a brick pier within the statue, to which the skin would be anchored.[32]
After consultations with the metalwork foundry Gaget, Gauthier & Co., Viollet-le-Duc chose the metal which would be used for the skin, copper sheets, and the method used to shape it, repoussé, in which the sheets were heated and then struck with wooden hammers.[28][33] An advantage of this choice was that the entire statue would be light for its volume, as the copper need be only 0.094 inches (2.4 mm) thick. Bartholdi had decided on a height of just over 151 feet (46 m) for the statue, double that of Italy's Sancarlone and the German statue of Arminius, both made with the same method.[34]

text: Announcement and early work

text: By 1875, France was enjoying improved political stability and a recovering postwar economy. Growing interest in the upcoming Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia led Laboulaye to decide it was time to seek public support.[35] In September 1875, he announced the project and the formation of the Franco-American Union as its fundraising arm. With the announcement, the statue was given a name, Liberty Enlightening the World.[36] The French would finance the statue; Americans would be expected to pay for the pedestal.[37] The announcement provoked a generally favorable reaction in France, though many Frenchmen resented the United States for not coming to their aid during the war with Prussia.[36] French monarchists opposed the statue, if for no other reason than it was proposed by the liberal Laboulaye, who had recently been elected a senator for life.[37] Laboulaye arranged events designed to appeal to the rich and powerful, including a special performance at the Paris Opera on April 25, 1876, that featured a new cantata by composer Charles Gounod. The piece was titled La Liberté éclairant le monde, the French version of the statue's announced name.[36]

text: Despite its initial focus on the elites, the Union was successful in raising funds from across French society. Schoolchildren and ordinary citizens gave, as did 181 French municipalities. Laboulaye's political allies supported the call, as did descendants of the French contingent in the American Revolutionary War. Less idealistically, contributions came from those who hoped for American support in the French attempt to build the Panama Canal. The copper may have come from multiple sources and some of it is said to have come from a mine in Visnes, Norway,[38] though this has not been conclusively determined after testing samples.[39] According to Cara Sutherland in her book on the statue for the Museum of the City of New York, 200,000 pounds (91,000 kg) was needed to build the statue, and the French copper industrialist Eugène Secrétan donated 128,000 pounds (58,000 kg) of copper.[40]

text: Although plans for the statue had not been finalized, Bartholdi moved forward with fabrication of the right arm, bearing the torch, and the head. Work began at the Gaget, Gauthier & Co. workshop.[41] In May 1876, Bartholdi traveled to the United States as a member of a French delegation to the Centennial Exhibition,[42] and arranged for a huge painting of the statue to be shown in New York as part of the Centennial festivities.[43] The arm did not arrive in Philadelphia until August; because of its late arrival, it was not listed in the exhibition catalogue, and while some reports correctly identified the work, others called it the "Colossal Arm" or "Bartholdi Electric Light". The exhibition grounds contained a number of monumental artworks to compete for fairgoers' interest, including an outsized fountain designed by Bartholdi.[44] Nevertheless, the arm proved popular in the exhibition's waning days, and visitors would climb up to the balcony of the torch to view the fairgrounds.[45] After the exhibition closed, the arm was transported to New York, where it remained on display in Madison Square Park for several years before it was returned to France to join the rest of the statue.[45]

text: During his second trip to the United States, Bartholdi addressed a number of groups about the project, and urged the formation of American committees of the Franco-American Union.[46] Committees to raise money to pay for the foundation and pedestal were formed in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.[47] The New York group eventually took on most of the responsibility for American fundraising and is often referred to as the "American Committee".[48] One of its members was 19-year-old Theodore Roosevelt, the future governor of New York and president of the United States.[46] On March 3, 1877, on his final full day in office, President Grant signed a joint resolution that authorized the President to accept the statue when it was presented by France and to select a site for it. President Rutherford B. Hayes, who took office the following day, selected the Bedloe's Island site that Bartholdi had proposed.[49]

text: Construction in France

text: On his return to Paris in 1877, Bartholdi concentrated on completing the head, which was exhibited at the 1878 Paris World's Fair. Fundraising continued, with models of the statue put on sale. Tickets to view the construction activity at the Gaget, Gauthier & Co. workshop were also offered.[50] The French government authorized a lottery; among the prizes were valuable silver plate and a terracotta model of the statue. By the end of 1879, about 250,000 francs had been raised.[51]

text: The head and arm had been built with assistance from Viollet-le-Duc, who fell ill in 1879. He soon died, leaving no indication of how he intended to transition from the copper skin to his proposed masonry pier.[52] The following year, Bartholdi was able to obtain the services of the innovative designer and builder Gustave Eiffel.[50] Eiffel and his structural engineer, Maurice Koechlin, decided to abandon the pier and instead build an iron truss tower. Eiffel opted not to use a completely rigid structure, which would force stresses to accumulate in the skin and lead eventually to cracking. A secondary skeleton was attached to the center pylon, then, to enable the statue to move slightly in the winds of New York Harbor and as the metal expanded on hot summer days, he loosely connected the support structure to the skin using flat iron bars[28] which culminated in a mesh of metal straps, known as "saddles", that were riveted to the skin, providing firm support. In a labor-intensive process, each saddle had to be crafted individually.[53][54] To prevent galvanic corrosion between the copper skin and the iron support structure, Eiffel insulated the skin with asbestos impregnated with shellac.[55]

text: Eiffel's design made the statue one of the earliest examples of curtain wall construction, in which the exterior of the structure is not load bearing, but is instead supported by an interior framework. He included two interior spiral staircases, to make it easier for visitors to reach the observation point in the crown.[56] Access to an observation platform surrounding the torch was also provided, but the narrowness of the arm allowed for only a single ladder, 40 feet (12 m) long.[57] As the pylon tower arose, Eiffel and Bartholdi coordinated their work carefully so that completed segments of skin would fit exactly on the support structure.[58] The components of the pylon tower were built in the Eiffel factory in the nearby Parisian suburb of Levallois-Perret.[59]

text: The change in structural material from masonry to iron allowed Bartholdi to change his plans for the statue's assembly. He had originally expected to assemble the skin on-site as the masonry pier was built; instead he decided to build the statue in France and have it disassembled and transported to the United States for reassembly in place on Bedloe's Island.[60]

text: In a symbolic act, the first rivet placed into the skin, fixing a copper plate onto the statue's big toe, was driven by United States Ambassador to France Levi P. Morton.[61] The skin was not, however, crafted in exact sequence from low to high; work proceeded on a number of segments simultaneously in a manner often confusing to visitors.[62] Some work was performed by contractors—one of the fingers was made to Bartholdi's exacting specifications by a coppersmith in the southern French town of Montauban.[63] By 1882, the statue was complete up to the waist, an event Barthodi celebrated by inviting reporters to lunch on a platform built within the statue.[64] Laboulaye died in 1883. He was succeeded as chairman of the French committee by Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal. The completed statue was formally presented to Ambassador Morton at a ceremony in Paris on July 4, 1884, and de Lesseps announced that the French government had agreed to pay for its transport to New York.[65] The statue remained intact in Paris pending sufficient progress on the pedestal; by January 1885, this had occurred and the statue was disassembled and crated for its ocean voyage.[66]

text: The committees in the United States faced great difficulties in obtaining funds for the construction of the pedestal. The Panic of 1873 had led to an economic depression that persisted through much of the decade. The Liberty statue project was not the only such undertaking that had difficulty raising money: construction of the obelisk later known as the Washington Monument sometimes stalled for years; it would ultimately take over three-and-a-half decades to complete.[67] There was criticism both of Bartholdi's statue and of the fact that the gift required Americans to foot the bill for the pedestal. In the years following the Civil War, most Americans preferred realistic artworks depicting heroes and events from the nation's history, rather than allegorical works like the Liberty statue.[67] There was also a feeling that Americans should design American public works—the selection of Italian-born Constantino Brumidi to decorate the Capitol had provoked intense criticism, even though he was a naturalized U.S. citizen.[68] Harper's Weekly declared its wish that "M. Bartholdi and our French cousins had 'gone the whole figure' while they were about it, and given us statue and pedestal at once."[69] The New York Times stated that "no true patriot can countenance any such expenditures for bronze females in the present state of our finances."[70] Faced with these criticisms, the American committees took little action for several years.[70]

text: Design

text:
The foundation of Bartholdi's statue was to be laid inside Fort Wood, a disused army base on Bedloe's Island constructed between 1807 and 1811. Since 1823, it had rarely been used, though during the Civil War, it had served as a recruiting station.[71] The fortifications of the structure were in the shape of an eleven-point star. The statue's foundation and pedestal were aligned so that it would face southeast, greeting ships entering the harbor from the Atlantic Ocean.[72]
In 1881, the New York committee commissioned Richard Morris Hunt to design the pedestal. Within months, Hunt submitted a detailed plan, indicating that he expected construction to take about nine months.[73] He proposed a pedestal 114 feet (35 m) in height; faced with money problems, the committee reduced that to 89 feet (27 m).[74]

text: Hunt's pedestal design contains elements of classical architecture, including Doric portals, as well as some elements influenced by Aztec architecture.[28] The large mass is fragmented with architectural detail, in order to focus attention on the statue.[74] In form, it is a truncated pyramid, 62 feet (19 m) square at the base and 39.4 feet (12.0 m) at the top. The four sides are identical in appearance. Above the door on each side, there are ten disks upon which Bartholdi proposed to place the coats of arms of the states (between 1876 and 1889, there were 38 U.S. states), although this was not done. Above that, a balcony was placed on each side, framed by pillars. Bartholdi placed an observation platform near the top of the pedestal, above which the statue itself rises.[75] According to author Louis Auchincloss, the pedestal "craggily evokes the power of an ancient Europe over which rises the dominating figure of the Statue of Liberty".[74] The committee hired former army General Charles Pomeroy Stone to oversee the construction work.[76] Construction on the 15-foot-deep (4.6 m) foundation began in 1883, and the pedestal's cornerstone was laid in 1884.[73] In Hunt's original conception, the pedestal was to have been made of solid granite. Financial concerns again forced him to revise his plans; the final design called for poured concrete walls, up to 20 feet (6.1 m) thick, faced with granite blocks.[77][78] This Stony Creek granite came from the Beattie Quarry in Branford, Connecticut.[79] The concrete mass was the largest poured to that time.[78]

text: Norwegian immigrant civil engineer Joachim Goschen Giæver designed the structural framework for the Statue of Liberty. His work involved design computations, detailed fabrication and construction drawings, and oversight of construction. In completing his engineering for the statue's frame, Giæver worked from drawings and sketches produced by Gustave Eiffel.[80]

text: Fundraising

text: Fundraising for the statue had begun in 1882. The committee organized a large number of money-raising events.[81] As part of one such effort, an auction of art and manuscripts, poet Emma Lazarus was asked to donate an original work. She initially declined, stating she could not write a poem about a statue. At the time, she was also involved in aiding refugees to New York who had fled anti-Semitic pogroms in eastern Europe. These refugees were forced to live in conditions that the wealthy Lazarus had never experienced. She saw a way to express her empathy for these refugees in terms of the statue.[82] The resulting sonnet, "The New Colossus", including the iconic lines "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free", is uniquely identified with the Statue of Liberty and is inscribed on a plaque in the museum in its base.[83]

text: Even with these efforts, fundraising lagged. Grover Cleveland, the governor of New York, vetoed a bill to provide $50,000 for the statue project in 1884. An attempt the next year to have Congress provide $100,000, sufficient to complete the project, also failed. The New York committee, with only $3,000 in the bank, suspended work on the pedestal. With the project in jeopardy, groups from other American cities, including Boston and Philadelphia, offered to pay the full cost of erecting the statue in return for relocating it.[84]

text: Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World, a New York newspaper, announced a drive to raise $100,000—the equivalent of $2.3 million today.[85] Pulitzer pledged to print the name of every contributor, no matter how small the amount given.[86] The drive captured the imagination of New Yorkers, especially when Pulitzer began publishing the notes he received from contributors. "A young girl alone in the world" donated "60 cents, the result of self denial."[87] One donor gave "five cents as a poor office boy's mite toward the Pedestal Fund." A group of children sent a dollar as "the money we saved to go to the circus with."[88] Another dollar was given by a "lonely and very aged woman."[87] Residents of a home for alcoholics in New York's rival city of Brooklyn—the cities would not merge until 1898—donated $15; other drinkers helped out through donation boxes in bars and saloons.[89] A kindergarten class in Davenport, Iowa, mailed the World a gift of $1.35.[87] As the donations flooded in, the committee resumed work on the pedestal.[90]

text: Construction

text: On June 17, 1885, the French steamer Isère, arrived in New York with the crates holding the disassembled statue on board. New Yorkers displayed their new-found enthusiasm for the statue. Two hundred thousand people lined the docks and hundreds of boats put to sea to welcome the ship.[91][92] After five months of daily calls to donate to the statue fund, on August 11, 1885, the World announced that $102,000 had been raised from 120,000 donors, and that 80 percent of the total had been received in sums of less than one dollar.[93]

text: Even with the success of the fund drive, the pedestal was not completed until April 1886. Immediately thereafter, reassembly of the statue began. Eiffel's iron framework was anchored to steel I-beams within the concrete pedestal and assembled.[94] Once this was done, the sections of skin were carefully attached.[95] Due to the width of the pedestal, it was not possible to erect scaffolding, and workers dangled from ropes while installing the skin sections. Nevertheless, no one died during the construction.[96] Bartholdi had planned to put floodlights on the torch's balcony to illuminate it; a week before the dedication, the Army Corps of Engineers vetoed the proposal, fearing that ships' pilots passing the statue would be blinded. Instead, Bartholdi cut portholes in the torch—which was covered with gold leaf—and placed the lights inside them.[97] A power plant was installed on the island to light the torch and for other electrical needs.[98] After the skin was completed, renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, co-designer of New York's Central Park and Brooklyn's Prospect Park, supervised a cleanup of Bedloe's Island in anticipation of the dedication.[99]

text: Dedication

text: A ceremony of dedication was held on the afternoon of October 28, 1886. President Grover Cleveland, the former New York governor, presided over the event.[100] On the morning of the dedication, a parade was held in New York City; estimates of the number of people who watched it ranged from several hundred thousand to a million. President Cleveland headed the procession, then stood in the reviewing stand to see bands and marchers from across America. General Stone was the grand marshal of the parade. The route began at Madison Square, once the venue for the arm, and proceeded to the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan by way of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, with a slight detour so the parade could pass in front of the World building on Park Row. As the parade passed the New York Stock Exchange, traders threw ticker tape from the windows, beginning the New York tradition of the ticker-tape parade.[101]

text: A nautical parade began at 12:45 p.m., and President Cleveland embarked on a yacht that took him across the harbor to Bedloe's Island for the dedication.[102] De Lesseps made the first speech, on behalf of the French committee, followed by the chairman of the New York committee, Senator William M. Evarts. A French flag draped across the statue's face was to be lowered to unveil the statue at the close of Evarts's speech, but Bartholdi mistook a pause as the conclusion and let the flag fall prematurely. The ensuing cheers put an end to Evarts's address.[101] President Cleveland spoke next, stating that the statue's "stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man's oppression until Liberty enlightens the world".[103] Bartholdi, observed near the dais, was called upon to speak, but he declined. Orator Chauncey M. Depew concluded the speechmaking with a lengthy address.[104]

text: No members of the general public were permitted on the island during the ceremonies, which were reserved entirely for dignitaries. The only females granted access were Bartholdi's wife and de Lesseps's granddaughter; officials stated that they feared women might be injured in the crush of people. The restriction offended area suffragists, who chartered a boat and got as close as they could to the island. The group's leaders made speeches applauding the embodiment of Liberty as a woman and advocating women's right to vote.[103] A scheduled fireworks display was postponed until November 1 because of poor weather.[105]

text: Shortly after the dedication, The Cleveland Gazette, an African American newspaper, suggested that the statue's torch not be lit until the United States became a free nation "in reality":

text: "Liberty enlightening the world," indeed! The expression makes us sick. This government is a howling farce. It can not or rather does not protect its citizens within its own borders. Shove the Bartholdi statue, torch and all, into the ocean until the "liberty" of this country is such as to make it possible for an inoffensive and industrious colored man to earn a respectable living for himself and family, without being ku-kluxed, perhaps murdered, his daughter and wife outraged, and his property destroyed. The idea of the "liberty" of this country "enlightening the world," or even Patagonia, is ridiculous in the extreme.[106]

text: After dedication

text: Lighthouse Board and War Department (1886–1933)

text: When the torch was illuminated on the evening of the statue's dedication, it produced only a faint gleam, barely visible from Manhattan. The World characterized it as "more like a glowworm than a beacon."[98] Bartholdi suggested gilding the statue to increase its ability to reflect light, but this proved too expensive. The United States Lighthouse Board took over the Statue of Liberty in 1887 and pledged to install equipment to enhance the torch's effect; in spite of its efforts, the statue remained virtually invisible at night. When Bartholdi returned to the United States in 1893, he made additional suggestions, all of which proved ineffective. He did successfully lobby for improved lighting within the statue, allowing visitors to better appreciate Eiffel's design.[98] In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt, once a member of the New York committee, ordered the statue's transfer to the War Department, as it had proved useless as a lighthouse.[107] A unit of the Army Signal Corps was stationed on Bedloe's Island until 1923, after which military police remained there while the island was under military jurisdiction.[108]

text: The statue rapidly became a landmark. Many immigrants who entered through New York saw it as a welcoming sight. Oral histories of immigrants record their feelings of exhilaration on first viewing the Statue of Liberty. One immigrant who arrived from Greece recalled:

text: I saw the Statue of Liberty. And I said to myself, "Lady, you're such a beautiful! [sic] You opened your arms and you get all the foreigners here. Give me a chance to prove that I am worth it, to do something, to be someone in America." And always that statue was on my mind.[109]

text: Originally, the statue was a dull copper color, but shortly after 1900 a green patina, also called verdigris, caused by the oxidation of the copper skin, began to spread. As early as 1902 it was mentioned in the press; by 1906 it had entirely covered the statue.[110] Believing that the patina was evidence of corrosion, Congress authorized US$62,800 (equivalent to $1,710,486 in 2017) for various repairs, and to paint the statue both inside and out.[111] There was considerable public protest against the proposed exterior painting.[112] The Army Corps of Engineers studied the patina for any ill effects to the statue and concluded that it protected the skin, "softened the outlines of the Statue and made it beautiful."[113] The statue was painted only on the inside. The Corps of Engineers also installed an elevator to take visitors from the base to the top of the pedestal.[113]

text: On July 30, 1916, during World War I, German saboteurs set off a disastrous explosion on the Black Tom peninsula in Jersey City, New Jersey, in what is now part of Liberty State Park, close to Bedloe's Island. Carloads of dynamite and other explosives that were being sent to Britain and France for their war efforts were detonated, and seven people were killed. The statue sustained minor damage, mostly to the torch-bearing right arm, and was closed for ten days. The cost to repair the statue and buildings on the island was about US$100,000 (equivalent to $2,248,930 in 2017). The narrow ascent to the torch was closed for public-safety reasons, and it has remained closed ever since.[104]

text: That same year, Ralph Pulitzer, who had succeeded his father Joseph as publisher of the World, began a drive to raise US$30,000 (equivalent to $674,679 in 2017) for an exterior lighting system to illuminate the statue at night. He claimed over 80,000 contributors, but failed to reach the goal. The difference was quietly made up by a gift from a wealthy donor—a fact that was not revealed until 1936. An underwater power cable brought electricity from the mainland and floodlights were placed along the walls of Fort Wood. Gutzon Borglum, who later sculpted Mount Rushmore, redesigned the torch, replacing much of the original copper with stained glass. On December 2, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson pressed the telegraph key that turned on the lights, successfully illuminating the statue.[114]

text: After the United States entered World War I in 1917, images of the statue were heavily used in both recruitment posters and the Liberty Bond drives that urged American citizens to support the war financially. This impressed upon the public the war's stated purpose—to secure liberty—and served as a reminder that embattled France had given the United States the statue.[115]

text: In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge used his authority under the Antiquities Act to declare the statue a National Monument.[107] The only successful suicide in the statue's history occurred five years later, when a man climbed out of one of the windows in the crown and jumped to his death, glancing off the statue's breast and landing on the base.[116]

text: Early National Park Service years (1933–1982)

text: In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the statue to be transferred to the National Park Service (NPS). In 1937, the NPS gained jurisdiction over the rest of Bedloe's Island.[107] With the Army's departure, the NPS began to transform the island into a park.[117] The Works Progress Administration (WPA) demolished most of the old buildings, regraded and reseeded the eastern end of the island, and built granite steps for a new public entrance to the statue from its rear. The WPA also carried out restoration work within the statue, temporarily removing the rays from the statue's halo so their rusted supports could be replaced. Rusted cast-iron steps in the pedestal were replaced with new ones made of reinforced concrete;[118] the upper parts of the stairways within the statue were replaced, as well. Copper sheathing was installed to prevent further damage from rainwater that had been seeping into the pedestal.[119] The statue was closed to the public from May until December 1938.[118]

text: During World War II, the statue remained open to visitors, although it was not illuminated at night due to wartime blackouts. It was lit briefly on December 31, 1943, and on D-Day, June 6, 1944, when its lights flashed "dot-dot-dot-dash", the Morse code for V, for victory. New, powerful lighting was installed in 1944–1945, and beginning on V-E Day, the statue was once again illuminated after sunset. The lighting was for only a few hours each evening, and it was not until 1957 that the statue was illuminated every night, all night.[120] In 1946, the interior of the statue within reach of visitors was coated with a special plastic so that graffiti could be washed away.[119]

text: In 1956, an Act of Congress officially renamed Bedloe's Island as Liberty Island, a change advocated by Bartholdi generations earlier. The act also mentioned the efforts to found an American Museum of Immigration on the island, which backers took as federal approval of the project, though the government was slow to grant funds for it.[121] Nearby Ellis Island was made part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument by proclamation of President Lyndon Johnson in 1965.[107] In 1972, the immigration museum, in the statue's base, was finally opened in a ceremony led by President Richard Nixon. The museum's backers never provided it with an endowment to secure its future and it closed in 1991 after the opening of an immigration museum on Ellis Island.[94]

text: In 1970, Ivy Bottini led a demonstration at the statue where she and others from the National Organization for Women's New York chapter draped an enormous banner over a railing which read "WOMEN OF THE WORLD UNITE!"[122][123]

text: Beginning December 26, 1971, 15 anti-Vietnam War veterans occupied the statue, flying a US flag upside down from her crown. They left December 28 following a Federal Court order.[124] The statue was also several times taken over briefly by demonstrators publicizing causes such as Puerto Rican independence, opposition to abortion, and opposition to US intervention in Grenada.  Demonstrations with the permission of the Park Service included a Gay Pride Parade rally and the annual Captive Baltic Nations rally.[125]

text: A powerful new lighting system was installed in advance of the American Bicentennial in 1976. The statue was the focal point for Operation Sail, a regatta of tall ships from all over the world that entered New York Harbor on July 4, 1976, and sailed around Liberty Island.[126] The day concluded with a spectacular display of fireworks near the statue.[127]

text: Renovation and rededication (1982–2000)

text: The statue was examined in great detail by French and American engineers as part of the planning for its centennial in 1986.[128] In 1982, it was announced that the statue was in need of considerable restoration. Careful study had revealed that the right arm had been improperly attached to the main structure. It was swaying more and more when strong winds blew and there was a significant risk of structural failure. In addition, the head had been installed 2 feet (0.61 m) off center, and one of the rays was wearing a hole in the right arm when the statue moved in the wind. The armature structure was badly corroded, and about two percent of the exterior plates needed to be replaced.[129] Although problems with the armature had been recognized as early as 1936, when cast iron replacements for some of the bars had been installed, much of the corrosion had been hidden by layers of paint applied over the years.[130]

text: In May 1982, President Ronald Reagan announced the formation of the Statue of Liberty–Ellis Island Centennial Commission, led by Chrysler Corporation chair Lee Iacocca, to raise the funds needed to complete the work.[131] Through its fundraising arm, the Statue of Liberty–Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., the group raised more than $350 million in donations.[132] The Statue of Liberty was one of the earliest beneficiaries of a cause marketing campaign. A 1983 promotion advertised that for each purchase made with an American Express card, the company would contribute one cent to the renovation of the statue. The campaign generated contributions of $1.7 million to the restoration project.[133]

text: In 1984, the statue was closed to the public for the duration of the renovation. Workers erected the world's largest free-standing scaffold,[28] which obscured the statue from view. Liquid nitrogen was used to remove layers of paint that had been applied to the interior of the copper skin over decades, leaving two layers of coal tar, originally applied to plug leaks and prevent corrosion. Blasting with baking soda powder removed the tar without further damaging the copper.[134] The restorers' work was hampered by the asbestos-based substance that Bartholdi had used—ineffectively, as inspections showed—to prevent galvanic corrosion. Workers within the statue had to wear protective gear, dubbed "moon suits", with self-contained breathing circuits.[135] Larger holes in the copper skin were repaired, and new copper was added where necessary.[136] The replacement skin was taken from a copper rooftop at Bell Labs, which had a patina that closely resembled the statue's; in exchange, the laboratory was provided some of the old copper skin for testing.[137] The torch, found to have been leaking water since the 1916 alterations, was replaced with an exact replica of Bartholdi's unaltered torch.[138] Consideration was given to replacing the arm and shoulder; the National Park Service insisted that they be repaired instead.[139] The original torch was removed and replaced in 1986 with the current one, whose flame is covered in 24-karat gold.[31] The torch reflects the sun's rays in daytime and is lighted by floodlights at night.[31]

text: The entire puddled iron armature designed by Gustave Eiffel was replaced. Low-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless steel bars that now hold the staples next to the skin are made of Ferralium, an alloy that bends slightly and returns to its original shape as the statue moves.[140] To prevent the ray and arm making contact, the ray was realigned by several degrees.[141] The lighting was again replaced—night-time illumination subsequently came from metal-halide lamps that send beams of light to particular parts of the pedestal or statue, showing off various details.[142] Access to the pedestal, which had been through a nondescript entrance built in the 1960s, was renovated to create a wide opening framed by a set of monumental bronze doors with designs symbolic of the renovation.[143] A modern elevator was installed, allowing handicapped access to the observation area of the pedestal.[144] An emergency elevator was installed within the statue, reaching up to the level of the shoulder.[145]

text: July 3–6, 1986, was designated "Liberty Weekend", marking the centennial of the statue and its reopening. President Reagan presided over the rededication, with French President François Mitterrand in attendance. July 4 saw a reprise of Operation Sail,[146] and the statue was reopened to the public on July 5.[147] In Reagan's dedication speech, he stated, "We are the keepers of the flame of liberty; we hold it high for the world to see."[146]

text: Closures and reopenings (2001–present)

text: Following the September 11 attacks, the statue and Liberty Island were immediately closed to the public. The island reopened at the end of 2001, while the pedestal and statue remained off-limits. The pedestal reopened in August 2004,[147] but the National Park Service announced that visitors could not safely be given access to the statue due to the difficulty of evacuation in an emergency. The Park Service adhered to that position through the remainder of the Bush administration.[148] New York Congressman Anthony Weiner made the statue's reopening a personal crusade.[149] On May 17, 2009, President Barack Obama's Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, announced that as a "special gift" to America, the statue would be reopened to the public as of July 4, but that only a limited number of people would be permitted to ascend to the crown each day.[148]

text: The statue, including the pedestal and base, closed on October 29, 2011, for installation of new elevators and staircases and to bring other facilities, such as restrooms, up to code. The statue was reopened on October 28, 2012,[1][150][151]  only to close again a day later due to Hurricane Sandy.[152]  Although the storm did not harm the statue, it destroyed some of the infrastructure on both Liberty Island and Ellis Island,  severely damaging the dock used by the ferries bearing visitors to the statue.  On November 8, 2012, a Park Service spokesperson announced that both islands would remain closed for an indefinite period for repairs to be done.[153]  Due to lack of electricity on Liberty Island, a generator was installed to power temporary floodlights to illuminate the statue at night. The superintendent of Statue of Liberty National Monument, David Luchsinger, whose home on the island was severely damaged, stated that it would be "optimistically ... months" before the island was reopened to the public.[154] The statue and Liberty Island reopened to the public on July 4, 2013.[155] Ellis Island remained closed for repairs for several more months but reopened in late October 2013.[156] For part of October 2013, Liberty Island was closed to the public due to the United States federal government shutdown of 2013, along with other federally funded museums, parks, monuments, construction projects and buildings.[157] The statue and Liberty Island were briefly closed on July 4, 2018, due to a protester against American immigration policy climbing on to the statue.[158]

text: On October 7, 2016, construction started on a new Statue of Liberty museum on Liberty Island. The new $70 million, 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) museum will be able to accommodate all of the island's visitors when it opens in 2019, as opposed to the current museum, which only 20% of the island's visitors can visit.[159]The museum, designed by FXFOWLE Architects, will integrate with the parkland around it.[160][161] Von Fürstenberg heads the fundraising for the museum, and the project had garnered more than $40 million in fundraising as of groundbreaking.[160]

text: Access and attributes

text: Location and tourism

text: The statue is situated in Upper New York Bay on Liberty Island south of Ellis Island,  which together comprise the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Both islands were ceded by New York to the federal government in 1800.[162] As agreed in an 1834 compact between New York and New Jersey that set the state border at the bay's midpoint, the original islands remain New York territory despite their location on the New Jersey side of the state line. Liberty Island is one of the islands that are part of the borough of Manhattan in New York. Land created by reclamation added to the 2.3-acre (0.93 ha) original island at Ellis Island is New Jersey territory.[163]

text:
No charge is made for entrance to the national monument, but there is a cost for the ferry service that all visitors must use, as private boats may not dock at the island. A concession was granted in 2007 to Statue Cruises to operate the transportation and ticketing facilities, replacing Circle Line, which had operated the service since 1953.[164]
The ferries, which depart from Liberty State Park in Jersey City and Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, also stop at Ellis Island when it is open to the public, making a combined trip possible.[165] All ferry riders are subject to security screening, similar to airport procedures, prior to boarding.[166] Visitors intending to enter the statue's base and pedestal must obtain a complimentary museum/pedestal ticket along with their ferry ticket.[167] Those wishing to climb the staircase within the statue to the crown purchase a special ticket, which may be reserved up to a year in advance. A total of 240 people per day are permitted to ascend: ten per group, three groups per hour. Climbers may bring only medication and cameras—lockers are provided for other items—and must undergo a second security screening.[168]

text: Inscriptions, plaques, and dedications

text: There are several plaques and dedicatory tablets on or near the Statue of Liberty.

text:
A plaque on the copper just under the figure in front declares that it is a colossal statue representing Liberty, designed by Bartholdi and built by the Paris firm of Gaget, Gauthier et Cie (Cie is the French abbreviation analogous to Co.). [169]
A presentation tablet, also bearing Bartholdi's name, declares the statue is a gift from the people of the Republic of France that honors "the Alliance of the two Nations in achieving the Independence of the United States of America and attests their abiding friendship."[169]
A tablet placed by the New York committee commemorates the fundraising done to build the pedestal.[169]
The cornerstone bears a plaque placed by the Freemasons.[169]
In 1903, a bronze tablet that bears the text of Emma Lazarus's sonnet, "The New Colossus" (1883), was presented by friends of the poet. Until the 1986 renovation, it was mounted inside the pedestal; today it resides in the Statue of Liberty Museum, in the base.[169]
"The New Colossus" tablet is accompanied by a tablet given by the Emma Lazarus Commemorative Committee in 1977, celebrating the poet's life.[169]

text: A group of statues stands at the western end of the island, honoring those closely associated with the Statue of Liberty. Two Americans—Pulitzer and Lazarus—and three Frenchmen—Bartholdi, Eiffel, and Laboulaye—are depicted. They are the work of Maryland sculptor Phillip Ratner.[170]

text: UNESCO World Heritage Site

text: In 1984, the Statue of Liberty was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The UNESCO "Statement of Significance" describes the statue as a "masterpiece of the human spirit" that "endures as a highly potent symbol—inspiring contemplation, debate and protest—of ideals such as liberty, peace, human rights, abolition of slavery, democracy and opportunity."[171]

text: Physical characteristics

text:
Feature[72]

U.S.
Metric

Height of copper statue
151 ft 1 in
46 m

Foundation of pedestal (ground level) to tip of torch
305 ft 1 in
93 m

Heel to top of head
111 ft 1 in
34 m

Height of hand
16 ft 5 in
5 m

Index finger
8 ft 1 in
2.44 m

Circumference at second joint
3 ft 6 in
1.07 m

Head from chin to cranium
17 ft 3 in
5.26 m

Head thickness from ear to ear
10 ft 0 in
3.05 m

Distance across the eye
2 ft 6 in
0.76 m

Length of nose
4 ft 6 in
1.48 m

Right arm length
42 ft 0 in
12.8 m

Right arm greatest thickness
12 ft 0 in
3.66 m

Thickness of waist
35 ft 0 in
10.67 m

Width of mouth
3 ft 0 in
0.91 m

Tablet, length
23 ft 7 in
7.19 m

Tablet, width
13 ft 7 in
4.14 m

Tablet, thickness
2 ft 0 in
0.61 m

Height of pedestal
89 ft 0 in
27.13 m

Height of foundation
65 ft 0 in
19.81 m

Weight of copper used in statue
60,000 pounds
27.22 tonnes

Weight of steel used in statue
250,000 pounds
113.4 tonnes

Total weight of statue
450,000 pounds
204.1 tonnes

Thickness of copper sheeting
3/32 of an inch
2.4 mm

text: Depictions

text: Hundreds of replicas of the Statue of Liberty are displayed worldwide.[172] A smaller version of the statue, one-fourth the height of the original, was given by the American community in Paris to that city. It now stands on the Île aux Cygnes, facing west toward her larger sister.[172] A replica 30 feet (9.1 m) tall stood atop the Liberty Warehouse on West 64th Street in Manhattan for many years;[172] it now resides at the Brooklyn Museum.[173] In a patriotic tribute, the Boy Scouts of America, as part of their Strengthen the Arm of Liberty campaign in 1949–1952, donated about two hundred replicas of the statue, made of stamped copper and 100 inches (2.5 m) in height, to states and municipalities across the United States.[174] Though not a true replica, the statue known as the Goddess of Democracy temporarily erected during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 was similarly inspired by French democratic traditions—the sculptors took care to avoid a direct imitation of the Statue of Liberty.[175] Among other recreations of New York City structures, a replica of the statue is part of the exterior of the New York-New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.[176]

text: As an American icon, the Statue of Liberty has been depicted on the country's coinage and stamps. It appeared on commemorative coins issued to mark its 1986 centennial, and on New York's 2001 entry in the state quarters series.[177] An image of the statue was chosen for the American Eagle platinum bullion coins in 1997, and it was placed on the reverse, or tails, side of the Presidential Dollar series of circulating coins.[26] Two images of the statue's torch appear on the current ten-dollar bill.[178] The statue's intended photographic depiction on a 2010 forever stamp proved instead to be of the replica at the Las Vegas casino.[179]

text: Depictions of the statue have been used by many regional institutions. Between 1986[180] and 2000,[181] New York State issued license plates with an outline of the statue.[180][181] The Women's National Basketball Association's New York Liberty use both the statue's name and its image in their logo, in which the torch's flame doubles as a basketball.[182] The New York Rangers of the National Hockey League depicted the statue's head on their third jersey, beginning in 1997.[183] The National Collegiate Athletic Association's 1996 Men's Basketball Final Four, played at New Jersey's Meadowlands Sports Complex, featured the statue in its logo.[184]  The Libertarian Party of the United States uses the statue in its emblem.[185]

text: The statue is a frequent subject in popular culture. In music, it has been evoked to indicate support for American policies, as in Toby Keith's song "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)", and in opposition, appearing on the cover of the Dead Kennedys' album Bedtime for Democracy, which protested the Reagan administration.[186] In film, the torch is the setting for the climax of director Alfred Hitchcock's 1942 movie Saboteur.[187] The statue makes one of its most famous cinematic appearances in the 1968 picture Planet of the Apes, in which it is seen half-buried in sand.[186][188] It is knocked over in the science-fiction film Independence Day [189] and in Cloverfield the head is ripped off.[190] In Jack Finney's time-travel novel Time and Again, the right arm of the statue, on display in the early 1880s in Madison Square Park, plays a crucial role.[191] Robert Holdstock, consulting editor of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, wondered in 1979:

text: Where would science fiction be without the Statue of Liberty? For decades it has towered or crumbled above the wastelands of deserted [E]arth—giants have uprooted it, aliens have found it curious ... the symbol of Liberty, of optimism, has become a symbol of science fiction's pessimistic view of the future.[192]


document_title: The Steve Harvey Show

question_text: cedric the entertainer girlfriend on steve harvey show

root

text: The Steve Harvey Show

text: Synopsis[edit]

text: Steve Hightower (Steve Harvey) is a 1970s funk legend who is now a music teacher/vice-principal at Booker T. Washington High School on Chicago's West Side. Budget cutbacks meant Steve also had to teach drama and art, much to his surprise. Cedric Robinson (Cedric the Entertainer) is a coach at the high school, and Steve's longtime best friend. The principal of Booker T. Washington High is Steve's former classmate, Regina Grier (Wendy Raquel Robinson), who Steve affectionately calls "Piggy", because of the fact that she was overweight as an adolescent.

tag: p

text: Steve forms a strong bond with two of his students: Romeo Santana (Merlin Santana), a stylish, popular, self-absorbed ladies' man, and the equally vacuous Stanley Kuznocki, nicknamed Bullethead (William Lee Scott) - acting as their mentor, and gradually, accepts them as friends.

text: In 1997, the show introduced a new character, a secretary named Lovita Jenkins (Terri J. Vaughn), a woman who is fundamentally good in nature, but nonetheless, considerably unrefined in terms of disposition. Cedric and Lovita begin dating, and eventually marry and produce a child. The show also featured a succession of young actresses who served as female foils to Romeo and Bullethead; the longest-lasting of these was Lori Beth Denberg as the overachieving, socially inept Lydia Gutman.She would also call Bullethead a "broke Brad Pitt" whenever he annoyed her, but would usually refer to Lydia as "Linda", "Lisa", or "Lucy" (correctly calling her "Lydia" only once). Rapper The Lady of Rage also had a recurring role as Coretta "The Ox" Cox, a physically massive, brutish teenaged girl in romantic pursuit of Romeo.

text: Steve was part of a fictional singing group called "Steve Hightower and the High Tops," who would temporarily reunite to perform on occasion (the spelling of "High Tops" appears on a promotional poster that hangs on Steve's wall). The members consisted of Steve, T-Bone (played by T. K. Carter, later by Don 'D.C.' Curry), Pretty Tony (played by Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers), and Clyde (played by Jonathan Slocumb). Two of their signature songs (performed several times on the show) were "When the Funk Hits the Fan" (and later on Harvey's eponymous talk show), and "Break Me Off a Piece of That Funk."  Though Cedric was not an original member of the group, he usually sang with them on several events.

text: A few other recurring characters throughout the series included Cedric's grandmother named "Grandma Puddin'" (played by Cedric the Entertainer) and Regina's boyfriend, former NFL star Warrington Steele (played by Dorien Wilson). Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell appeared in several episodes as "Junior" and "Vincent."  Wayne Wilderson portrayed Byron, a "bougie" type character who was a TV producer and a member of the Onyx Club (a professional men's group that Steve and Cedric tried to join). Dwayne Adway played Jordan Maddox, a professional basketball player who was briefly married to Regina before dying during their honeymoon. Ernest Lee Thomas made a couple of appearances as the Reverend who eulogized Maddox, and who married Cedric and Lovita.

text: Episodes[edit]

text: SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast aired121August 25, 1996 (1996-08-25)May 15, 1997 (1997-05-15)222September 10, 1997 (1997-09-10)May 13, 1998 (1998-05-13)322September 14, 1998 (1998-09-14)May 17, 1999 (1999-05-17)422September 24, 1999 (1999-09-24)May 19, 2000 (2000-05-19)522October 8, 2000 (2000-10-08)May 20, 2001 (2001-05-20)613October 14, 2001 (2001-10-14)February 17, 2002 (2002-02-17)

tag: table

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Steve Harvey – Steven "Steve" Hightower
Cedric the Entertainer – Cedric Jackie Robinson
Merlin Santana – Romeo Santana
William Lee Scott – Stanley "Bullethead" Kuznocki
Wendy Raquel Robinson – Principal Regina Grier-Maddox
Terri J. Vaughn – Lovita Alizé Jenkins-Robinson (1997–2002)
Tracy Vilar – Sophia Ortiz (1996–1997)
Netfa Perry – Sara (1996–1997)
Ariyan A. Johnson – Aisha (1997–1998)
Lori Beth Denberg – Lydia Liza Guttman (1998–2002)

tag: ul

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Kel Mitchell – Vincent (1996–1999)
Kenan Thompson – Junior (1996–1999)
T. K. Carter – T-Bone (1996–1999)
Ronald Isley – Pretty Tony (1996–2001)
Jonathan Slocumb – Clyde (1996–2001)
The Lady of Rage  – Coretta "The Ox" Cox (1997–2000; credited during season 4 episodes as "Robin Yvette")
Wayne Wilderson – Byron (1998–2001)
Dorien Wilson – Warrington Steele (1998–1999)
Samm Levine – Arthur Rabinowitz (2001)
Don "D.C." Curry – T-Bone (1999–2001)
Dwayne Adway – Jordan Maddox (2000)

text: Special guest appearances[edit]

text:
Teena Marie
Meagan Good
Jerry Springer
Bow Wow
Jermaine Dupri
Teddy Riley
Snoop Dogg
Sean Combs
Kim Fields
Isabel Sanford
Judge Greg Mathis
Antonio Fargas
Busta Rhymes
Brian McKnight
Nikki Cox
Boris Kodjoe
Gabrielle Union
Bumper Robinson
Adrian Zmed
Jenn Lyon
Ja'net Dubois

text: Running gags[edit]

text: There were a few recurrent gags throughout the series. For instance, Lovita had several relatives named after products or items (her brother's name was Duracell; she had cousins named "Kinko", "Bruschetta," "Clinique," and "Camay").

text: Steve also made several references to his well-known hot spot "The Nasty Kitty" and his favorite working girl, Bubblicious, even though the strip club is never seen. Steve's topical humor of popular culture was also another recurring gag. One example of these jokes: "When I see that woman, I'm like Shaq doing Shakespeare - I just don't know how to act!". Another recurring gag on the show was despite being a one-time famous musician in the universe of the show, Steve was always mistaken for being other famous musicians. For example, in an episode guest starring Jerry Springer, he refers to him as "That Cop from the Village People." Another episode featured singer Teena Marie, who when Steve went to introduce himself to see if she'd remember him, answers "Oh yes! Lionel! How are you? Give my best to the rest of The Commodores" (referring to singer Lionel Richie).

text: Though Regina had blossomed into a beautiful, stylish lady, she sometimes displayed her insecurities, and was highly competitive (always displayed childlike exuberance whenever she won a trophy by yelling her signature catchphrase "Bam! In your face!", and once cheated Steve in a game of Scrabble because he played it better than she). In addition, the romantic tension between Steve and Regina eventually blossomed into a relationship, though they never kissed on the show.

text: A very well-known gag was Cedric's story about being from Willacoochee, Georgia, where he was raised in a one-bedroom shack. The story was never finished, the scene would change or someone would interrupt him. Cedric's love for decking out his Hyundai, which was never seen in the show, was another running gag, as well as offering to take Lovita out to dinner whenever he had a two-for-one coupon at the Sizzler restaurant.

text: Occasional gags referenced Bullethead's trailer park lifestyle, and Romeo's numerous names (he has used the names Romeo Miguel Jesus Pele Rojas Alejandro Santana). In one episode, he wrote all of his names on paper but never prepared his assignment, resulting in an "F". Lydia almost always displayed an obsession for her classmate/alleged lover, Arthur Rabinowitz (whom Steve referred to as "that polite Jewish boy that does his taxes"), and for her favorite entertainer, Barbra Streisand; however, she had total disdain for classmates "Heather the cheerleader" and "Jennifer the cheerleader". One other gag was that teachers would refer to a student (amongst themselves) because of a condition or appearance ("Helmet Boy" for wearing a special helmet in gym class; "Au Natural Girl" for having a strong body odor, and "Firestarter" for one kid who kept setting items on fire).

text: Seasonal ratings in the United States[edit]

text:
Season

Network

Season premiere

Season finale

Rank

Viewers(in millions)

1

The WB

August 25, 1996[1]

May 18, 1997[2]

#147[3]

2.7 household rating[3]

2

September 10, 1997

May 13, 1998

#144[4]

3.4 household rating[4]

3

September 18, 1998

May 20, 1999[5]

#125[6]

4.1[6]

4

September 24, 1999

May 19, 2000

#146[7]

2.2[7]

5

October 8, 2000

May 20, 2001

#138[8]

2.1[8]

6

October 14, 2001

February 17, 2002

#141[9]

3.0[9]

text: Series end[edit]

text: In 2001, Harvey decided to pursue other projects. He wished to end the show after the fifth season, but at the insistence of the WB network, reluctantly filmed a 13-episode sixth season.[10]

text: The series ended with Regina mulling over a job offer to be a principal at a private school in California. Steve, who doesn't want Regina to go, acts supportive despite his feelings. Regina ends up taking the job; with encouragement from Lydia, Bullethead, and Romeo, Steve decides to go after her to reveal his true feelings. Lydia, Romeo, and Bullethead have all graduated by the series' finale. Meanwhile, Cedric and Lovita win the lottery and Lovita goes into labor (Terri J. Vaughn's real-life pregnancy was written into the show that season).

text: Death of Merlin Santana[edit]

text: On November 9, 2002, nine months after the show ended, Merlin Santana was shot in the head and killed while sitting in his friend's (Brandon Adams) car in South Central Los Angeles, California. He was 26 years old. The reason for his death is that the killer's girlfriend falsely stated that Santana tried to rape her. The episode of The Steve Harvey Show immediately following Santana's death was dedicated to his honor.

text: Syndication[edit]

text: The series was first distributed to syndication to The WB, FOX, UPN, and independent affiliates in the United States by Columbia Tristar Television Distribution  in September 2000, and remained airing in broadcast syndication in some U.S. markets on various local stations (such as WCIU and Me-TV in Chicago) as late as 2008. From 2000-2005, reruns aired on New York's UPN station, WWOR-TV. From 2014 to June 2016, after Bill Cosby's rape allegation, The Cosby Show reruns were replaced on WPIX by reruns of The Steve Harvey Show. The show has started airing again in syndication as of 2015.

text: The series aired on BET until March 2009, and was on TBS in the United States until September 24, 2011, UK Channel Trouble. It was broadcast on Ion Television until March 16, 2009.

text: As of June 2018, reruns of the show can be seen on BET Her.

text: DVD release[edit]

text: In 2003,  Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment released The Best of the Steve Harvey Show, Vol. 1, on Region 1 DVD. The disc features five episodes of the series.[11]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Year

Award

Result

Category

Recipient

1996
NCLR Bravo Awards
Nominated
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Comedy Series
Tracy Vilar

Nominated
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Comedy Series
Merlin Santana

1998
ALMA Award
Nominated
Outstanding Comedy Series
-

Nominated
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Tracy Vilar

Nominated
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Merlin Santana

1999
Nominated
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Merlin Santana

1998
NAACP Image Awards
Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Steve Harvey

Nominated
Outstanding Comedy Series
-

1999
Nominated
Outstanding Comedy Series
-

Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Cedric the Entertainer

Won
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Steve Harvey

2000
Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Terri J. Vaughn

Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Wendy Raquel Robinson

Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Cedric the Entertainer

Won
Outstanding Comedy Series
-

Won
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Steve Harvey

2001
Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
William Lee Scott

Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Merlin Santana

Nominated
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Wendy Raquel Robinson

Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Terri J. Vaughn

Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Cedric the Entertainer

Won
Outstanding Comedy Series
-

Won
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Steve Harvey

2002
Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Merlin Santana

Nominated
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Wendy Raquel Robinson

Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Terri J. Vaughn

Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Cedric the Entertainer

Won
Outstanding Comedy Series
-

Won
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Steve Harvey

2003
Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Terri J. Vaughn


document_title: List of governors of the Gold Coast

question_text: who was the first governor of gold coast

text: List of governors of the Gold Coast

text: Governors of the Gold Coast (1621–1751)[edit]

text:
Sir William St. John, 1621–1623
William Greenhill, 1660
Henry Nurse, 1685
John Bloome, 1691
Baggs, 1697–1701
Thomas Dalby, 1701–1708
Henry Meredith, died 1812 after being killed by locals. Author of 'An Account of the Gold Coast of Africa: With a Brief History of the African Company.'

text: He was the governor of Fort Winnebah.

text: Governors of the Committee of Merchants of the Gold Coast (1751–1822)[edit]

text:
Thomas Melvil, 23 June 1751 – 23 January 1756
William Tymewell, 23 January 1756 – 17 February 1756
Charles Bell, 17 February 1756 – 15 October 1757, first time
Nassau Senior, 15 October 1757 – 10 May 1761, acting
Charles Bell, 10 May 1761 – 15 August 1763, second timetoday of the day
William Mutter, 15 August 1763 – 1 March 1766
John Hippersley, 1 March 1766 – 11 August 1766
Gilbert Petrie, 11 August 1766 – 21 April 1769
John Crossle, 21 April 1769 – 11 August 1770
David Mill, 11 August 1770 – 20 January 1777
Richard Miles, 20 January 1777 – 25 March 1780, first time
John Roberts, 25 March 1780 – 20 May 1781
John B. Weuves, 20 May 1781 – 29 April 1782, acting
Richard Miles, 29 April 1782 – 29 January 1784, second time
James Morgue, 29 January 1784 – 24 January 1787
Thomas Price, 24 January 1787 – 27 April 1787
Thomas Morris, 27 April 1787 – 20 June 1789
William Fielde, 20 June 1789 – 15 November 1791
John Gordon, 15 November 1791 – 31 March 1792, first time
Archibald Dalzel, 31 March 1792 – 16 December 1798, first time
Jacob Mould, 16 December 1798 – 4 January 1799, first time
John Gordon, 4 January 1799 – 28 April 1800, second time
Archibald Dalzel, 28 April 1800 – 30 September 1802, second time
Jacob Mould, 30 September 1802 – 8 February 1805, second time
George Torrane, 8 February 1805 – 4 December 1807
Edward White, 4 December 1807 – 21 April 1816
Joseph Dawson, 21 April 1816 – 19 January 1817
John Hope Smith, 19 January 1817 – 27 March 1822

text: Governors of the Gold Coast (1822–1828)[edit]

text:
Sir Amankwaah Francis, 27 March 1822 – 17 May 1822, first time
James Chisholm, 17 May 1822–December 1822, first time
Sir Amankwaah Francis, December 1822–21 January 1824, second time
James Chisholm, 21 January 1824 – 17 October 1824, second time
Edward Purdon, 17 October 1824 – 22 March 1825
Major-general Sir Charles Turner, 22 March 1825 – 8 March 1826
Sir Neil Campbell, 18 May 1826 – 15 November 1826
Major Henry John Ricketts, 15 November 1826 – 11 October 1827, first time
Hugh Lumley, 11 October 1827 – 10 March 1828
George Hingston, 10 March 1828 – 5 June 1828
Major Henry John Ricketts, 5 June 1828 – 25 June 1828, second time

text: Governors of the Committee of Merchants of the Gold Coast (1828–1843)[edit]

text:
John Jackson, 25 June 1828 – 19 February 1830
George Maclean, 19 February 1830 – 26 June 1836, first time
William Topp, 26 June 1836 – 15 August 1838
George Maclean, 15 August 1838 – 1843, second time

text: Governors of the Gold Coast (1843–1960)[edit]

text: In 1843 a governor was appointed subordinate to the Governor of Sierra Leone until 1850. After the Third Anglo-Ashanti War of 1873–74, the Gold Coast was formally declared a crown colony.

text:
Henry Worsley Hill, 1843–8 March 1845
James Lelley, 8 March 1845 – 15 April 1846
William Winniett, 15 April 1846 – 31 January 1849, first time
James Coleman Fitzpatrick, 31 January 1849 – 13 January 1850
Sir William Winniett, 13 January 1850 – 4 December 1850, second time
James Bannerman, 4 December 1850 – 14 October 1851
Stephen John Hill, 14 October 1851–December 1854
Henry Connor, December 1854–March 1857, acting
Sir Benjamin Chilley Campbell Pine, March 1857–April 1858
Henry Bird, April 1858–20 April 1860, acting
Edward B. Andrews, 20 April 1860 – 14 April 1862
William A. Ross, 14 April 1862 – 20 September 1862, acting
Richard Pine, 20 September 1862 – 1865
Rokeby Jones, 1865, acting
W. E. Mockler, 1865, acting
Edward Conran, April 1865–February 1867
Herbert Taylor Ussher, February 1867–April 1872, first time
John Pope Hennessy, April 1872 – 1872
Charles Spencer Salmon, 1872–September 1872, acting
Robert William Keate 7 Mar 1873 – 17 Mar 1873
Robert William Harley, September 1872–2 October 1873
Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 2 October 1873 – 4 March 1874
James Maxwell, 4 March 1874 – 30 March 1874, acting
Charles Lees, 30 March 1874–June 1874, acting, first time
George Cumine Strahan, June 1874–7 April 1876
Charles Lees, 7 April 1876–December 1876, acting, second time
Sanford Freeling, December 1876–13 May 1878, acting to 5 June 1877
Charles Lees, 13 May 1878–June 1879, acting, third time
Herbert Taylor Ussher, June 1879–1 December 1880, second time
William Brandford Griffith, 1 December 1880 – 4 March 1881, acting, first time
Sir Samuel Rowe, 4 March 1881 – 29 April 1884
W. A. G. Young, 29 April 1884 – 24 April 1885
William Brandford Griffith, 24 April 1885 – 7 April 1895, second time
William Edward Maxwell, 7 April 1895 – 6 December 1897
Frederick Mitchell Hodgson, 6 December 1897 – 29 August 1900, acting to 29 May 1898
W. Low, 29 August 1900 – 17 December 1900, acting
Sir Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1900 – 9 February 1904[1]
Herbert Bryan, 9 February 1904 – 3 March 1904, acting, first time
John Pickersgill Rodger, 3 March 1904 – 1 September 1910
Herbert Bryan, 1 September 1910 – 20 November 1910, acting, second time
James Jamieson Thorburn, 21 November 1910 – 29 June 1912
Herbert Bryan, 29 June 1912 – 26 December 1912, acting, third time
Sir Hugh Charles Clifford, 26 December 1912 – 1 April 1919
Alexander Ransford Slater, 1 April 1919 – 8 October 1919, acting, first time
Frederick Gordon Guggisberg, 9 October 1919 – 24 April 1927
Sir James Crawford Maxwell, 24 April 1927 – 5 June 1927, acting
John Maxwell, 5 June 1927–July 1927, acting
Sir Alexander Ransford Slater, July 1927–5 April 1932, second time
Geoffrey Northcote, 5 April 1932 – 29 November 1932, acting, first time
Sir Shenton Thomas, 30 November 1932 – 13 May 1934
Geoffrey Northcote, 13 May 1934 – 23 October 1934, acting, second time
Sir Arnold Weinholt Hodson, 24 October 1934 – 24 October 1941
George Ernest London, 24 October 1941 – 29 June 1942, acting
Sir Alan Cuthbert Maxwell Burns, 29 June 1942 – 2 August 1947
Sir Gerald Hallen Creasy, 12 January 1948 – 15 February 1949
Sir Robert Scott, 15 February 1949 – 28 March 1949, acting, first time
Thorleif Rattray Orde Mangin, 28 March 1949 – 11 June 1949, acting
Sir Robert Scott, 11 June 1949 – 11 August 1949, acting, second time
Sir Charles Noble Arden-Clarke, 11 August 1949 – 6 March 1957
Lord Listowell, March 1957 – July 1960

text: In 1957, the Gold Coast and British Togoland, became the independent country of Ghana. The viceroy in the new country was the Governor-General of Ghana.He was the representative of the Queen of England and thus acted in the Queen's name as other former governors had been in place and exercised such jurisdiction allocated to them by the constitutions they drew for themselves in respect to the governance of the colony.