NEW YORK – The Statue of Liberty reopened on the Fourth of July, eight months after Superstorm Sandy shuttered the national symbol of freedom, as Americans around the country celebrated with fireworks and parades and President Obama urged citizens to live up to the words of the Declaration of Independence.

Hundreds lined up Thursday to be among the first to board boats destined for Lady Liberty, including New Yorker Heather Leykam and her family.

“This, to us, Liberty Island, is really about a rebirth,” said Leykam, whose mother’s home was destroyed during the storm. “It is a sense of renewal for the city and the country. We wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

Nationwide, Boston prepared to host its first large gathering since the marathon bombing that killed three and injured hundreds. A Civil War reenactment commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg drew as many as 40,000 people to Pennsylvania. In Arizona, tributes were planned for 19 firefighters who died this week battling a wildfire.

Liberty Island was decorated with star-spangled bunting, but portions remain blocked off with construction equipment, and the main ferry dock was boarded up. Repairs to brick walkways and docks were ongoing.

But much of the work has been completed since Sandy swamped the 12-acre island in New York Harbor, and visitors were impressed.

“It’s stunning, it’s beautiful,” said Elizabeth Bertero, 46, of California’s Sonoma County.

The statue itself was unharmed, but the land took a beating. Railings broke, docks and paving stones were torn up and buildings were flooded. Hundreds of National Park Service workers from as far away as California and Alaska spent weeks cleaning mud and debris.

In his weekly radio address from Washington, Obama urged Americans to work to secure liberty and opportunity for their own children and future generations. The first family was to host U.S. servicemen and women at the White House for a cookout.