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 , and the statue was reopened to the public on July 5 . 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 . " Immediately following the September 11 attacks , the statue and Liberty Island were 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 Anthony Weiner made the statue 's reopening a personal crusade . 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
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Statue of Liberty