'Little' Lady Liberty To Arrive Just In Time For Independence Day

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The United States is getting a gift from France just in time for Independence Day.

She may resemble the Statue of Liberty, down to the broken shackles and torch lighting the path to freedom, but at just over 9 feet, she's sixteen times smaller than our Lady Liberty.

Call it her little sister, and she's about to go on the same important diplomatic mission as her big sis.

"French-American friendship should be marked under the symbol of liberty," said organizer Olivier Faron.

She's being packed up and shipped out, tracing the same path across the Atlantic as the statue in New York.

"As we reopen after COVID, it's great that Lady Liberty can be one of the first voyagers, travelers back to the United States," says Liam Wasley with the U.S. Embassy in France.

In 1885, France gave America the original Statue of Liberty. For decades, she welcomed millions of immigrants to the U.S.

A band gave Lady Liberty's little sister a final au revoir. She'll arrive in New York for a family reunion just in time for the 4th of July.

After that, "Little" Lady Liberty will be moved to the French Embassy in Washington DC where she'll stay for a decade.