NEW YORK — The first visitors allowed into the Statue of Liberty's crown in nearly eight years made the arduous climb Saturday on an Independence Day journey laden with symbolism of freedom, national pride — and for one couple, romance.

Aaron Weisinger, 26, got down on one knee on the crown's small floor, pulled out a diamond ring and proposed to his girlfriend, Erica Breder. Stunned, Breder squeezed her eyes shut as tears rolled down her cheeks, and whispered an immediate yes.

"To propose in the crown was perfect," 25-year-old Breder said later.

Cheering the Walnut Creek, Calif., couple, fellow visitors also felt the gravity of the occasion.

"I feel the Statue of Liberty represents global unity, a sign that our world must unify," said Barbara McLean, 57, of Atlanta. After ascending the total of 354 steps to the statue's crown, she sang "America the Beautiful" — her deep voice resonating off the low, rounded ceiling of the crown's interior — before fellow visitors broke into a hefty applause.

"I don't think people's hardships are over when they come to America, but I still think that it is a beacon of hope," she said. "Even in a difficult economy and in a war, still the dream and ideology it represents is beyond words."

The statue 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.

The National Park Service says the crown remained closed because the narrow, double-helix staircases could not be safely evacuated in an emergency and didn't comply with fire and building codes. Tourists often suffered heat exhaustion, shortness of breath, panic attacks, claustrophobia and fear of heights, spokesman Darren Boch said.

New handrails have since been installed to help with the climb, and only 30 people per hour are allowed up the dark, narrow staircase. They are guided by park rangers along the way.

The first 30 huffed and sweated as they made their way, twisting and using the handrails to pull themselves up stairs sometimes too small to fit an entire foot. Most later said the climb wasn't as bad as they had anticipated.

Weisinger was drenched in sweat as he reached the top, but not just because of the workout. He had planned for months to propose in a place full of personal significance — his grandparents, immigrants from Eastern Europe, arrived at nearby Ellis Island. A generation later, his fiancee's parents also arrived in New York as immigrants from Eastern Europe.

"I was nervous on the way up, but I blamed it on the hike," Weisinger said later. He and Breder, who have been together for three years, both cried after his proposal.