Through the end of the 1800s and the 1900s, the statue welcomed immigrants entering the United States by way of New York Harbor. In 1903, Emma Lazarus' poem, "The New Colossus," with its famous lines, "Give me your tired, your poor,/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," was added to the pedestal on a plaque.

In 1924, the statue became a national monument. Bedloe's Island, home to Fort Wood and the statue, was renamed Liberty Island in 1956. That same year Ellis Island was included with Liberty Island to make up the Statue of Liberty National Monument. As the Lady Liberty's 100th birthday neared, the country began working to restore the monument.

Starting in 1982, $87 million was raised for the restoration. When statue's restoration began in 1984, the United Nations named it a World Heritage Site. The statue was re-opened on July 5, 1986, for her centennial celebration.

Visitors have not been able to enter the Statue of Liberty since September 11, 2001, but the island remains open. A fundraising drive is currently underway to make the necessary security and safety upgrades to re-open the statue itself.

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