**ADDS POOL PHOTO DESIGNATION**Chris Bartnick, 46, left, hoists his daughter Aleyna, 8, both of Merrick, N.Y., for a better view from the crown of the Statue of Liberty in New York, Saturday July 4, 2009. The first visitors were allowed into the Statue of Liberty's crown Saturday in nearly eight years after it was closed to the public after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The base, pedestal and outdoor observation deck were reopened in 2004, but the crown remained off-limits. (AP Photos/David Goldman, pool)
NEW YORK - For the first time since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans on Saturday were allowed to clamber up the steep steps to enter the Statue of Liberty's crown, a Fourth of July event that promoters said was a sign of the United States' efforts to overcome fears of the past and celebrate a new American era.
The first ferry bringing people to Liberty Island purred up the New York Harbor at 7 a.m., as the early-morning sun shone on the statue's golden torch, more than 300 feet above the sparkling water.
In a white tent established for a special swearing-in ceremony for new citizens, seven servicemen from countries ranging from Bangladesh to Guyana took the oath, the view of Manhattan in the background.
"It's a proud day today because of the opening of the doors of an American icon," said U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, adding that the new citizens' diversity illustrated the potpourri of humanity that makes the U.S. unique.
Salazar announced the crown's reopening in May, saying it was a "special gift" to Americans.
The move was seen as part of President Barack Obama's attempts to distance the administration from the policies of his predecessor that critics said had hardened America's image since Sept. 11.
The Bush administration contended that the attacks and the deaths of hundreds of people in the collapsing World Trade Center towers underscored the potential dangers to crown visitors in the event of another attack or other emergency.
Reaching the crown involves climbing a narrow double helix staircase, with no option of turning back because of the inevitable lines of people snaking their way up. There are 146 steps in the crown climb, said Darren Boch, a National Park Service spokesman. The total steps from the statue's base, which was reopened on 2004, to the crown number 354.
Unlike in the past, only 10 people will be permitted into the crown. Visitors will pass through rigid security checks akin to boarding a flight. Visitors said it was worth it.
Visitors had snapped up tickets online as soon as they became available on June 13. Wearing green Styrofoam crowns on their heads, the men, women and children stood in two rows on the steps at the statue's pedestal while local, state and national officials jointly held on to a pair of oversize scissors and cut a red ribbon. "This signals in so many ways a new beginning," Salazar said.
Then the climb began. About 50 minutes later, the first group to the top began trickling out the gates back at the bottom, most with sweat pouring from their green crowns.
"It's good to be able to get in there, to be able to touch it, to feel it," said Chris Bartnick of Merrick, N.Y., who ascended the stairs with his 8-year-old daughter, Aleyna. "It was something I did when I was a kid. Hopefully it's something she'll do with her kids."
Bartnick and others described an arduous, claustrophobia-inducing trek, where the heat from the sun blazing through the crown's small windows turned the cramped quarters into a virtual sauna.
The only delay occurred when Aaron Weisinger of Danville, Calif., got down on one knee, produced a huge diamond ring and proposed to Erica Breder, his girlfriend of three years. She said yes.
Weisinger said the elaborate proposal had been in the works since news of the crown's reopening was announced in May.
"It took a lot of phone calls," said Weisinger, who even wrote to Obama in a frantic search to guarantee tickets for the crown.
Eventually, he got four tickets from someone who heard of his quest. Two tickets were given to friends, who slowed the line of visitors Saturday to give room to Weisinger to kneel down.
"Symbolically, this is so remarkable in terms of our psyche. It's just great," said Jennifer Stewart of New York, who makes a living appearing as Miss Liberty in a green flowing gown, green skin and even a green handbag carrying green-tinged cosmetic, glasses and other items.
Stewart, whose career was launched in 1986 when she won the national Statue of Liberty centennial look-alike contest, said the freedom to "perceive the world through Miss Liberty's crown" represented the sense of inclusiveness that America is supposed to represent.