Replicas of the Statue of Liberty of the great epics in the struggle for human freedom–the liberation of the Philippines.” Fast forward to 1950, the Boy Scouts of America was celebrating its 40th anniversary. Jack P. Whitaker, then Scout Commissioner of the Kansas City Area Council, had earlier suggested the creation and distribution of several Statue of Liberty replicas to all American states and territories, including the Philippines. The eight-foot statues, which were cast in bronze, were distributed all over the U.S. and the world from 1949 to 1951. Almost 200 replicas were delivered to the 39 states of the U.S. and countries such as Panama
Statue of Liberty he stated, "We are the keepers of the flame of liberty; we hold it high for the world to see." 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, 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. New York Congressman