Look at the word inscribed as used in the passage "The Statue of Liberty: France's Side of the Story." Bartholdi decided to use a goddes s- like figure to represent liberty. Liberty would hold a torch in her right hand, shining the light of freedom on the world. In her left, she would clutch a stone tablet, its surface inscribed with the date July 4, 177 6— the date that the Declaration of Independence was ratified.