<P> The torch - bearing arm was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 , and in Madison Square Park in Manhattan from 1876 to 1882 . Fundraising proved difficult , especially for the Americans , and by 1885 work on the pedestal was threatened by lack of funds . Publisher Joseph Pulitzer , of the New York World , started a drive for donations to finish the project and attracted more than 120,000 contributors , most of whom gave less than a dollar . The statue was built in France , shipped overseas in crates , and assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe 's Island . The statue 's completion was marked by New York 's first ticker - tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President Grover Cleveland . </P>
where was the statue of liberty originally built
France