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The Statue of Liberty: France's Side of the Story
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Rising high above the New York harbor, the copper-green Statue of Liberty can be seen from miles away. For many Americans, the majestic figure symbolizes the country's willingness to welcome immigrants—especially those fleeing persecution or other hardships in their homelands.
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However, the original purpose of the statue had nothing to do with immigration. Officially called Liberty Enlightening the World, the monument was given to America by France in 1875. The statue's designers intended it as a symbol not of sanctuary, but of democracy. They hoped that the statue would inspire France to embrace democratic government, rather than continuing to be ruled by monarchs.
Democracy was not a new idea for mid-nineteenth-century France. In fact, back in 1776, France had supported the American colonies when they revolted against British rule and established their system of self-government. Thirteen years later, the French people launched a revolution of their own, overthrowing their king. Yet unlike the American Revolution, the French Revolution led to a series of unstable, temporary governments. By the mid-1860s, France was once again under the rule of an emperor.
While some French people supported the emperor, others wanted a government of elected officials. One of the most ardent supporters of French democracy was a professor named Édouard René de Laboulaye. Laboulaye was an expert on the U.S. Constitution. He taught and wrote about it in depth. Laboulaye believed wholeheartedly that France, too, should one day have a democracy.
Laboulaye, however, did not want to force democracy through violent uprisings. Rather, he wanted to inspire change. In the early 1870s, he came up with an idea: the creation of a monument to the United States. Laboulaye believed that such a monument could help inspire change in several ways. First, it would memorialize France's important role in the American Revolution. Second, it would honor the continued friendship between France and the United States. And finally, it would celebrate the democratic values embraced by the U.S. government. Laboulaye hoped that by raising public awareness in these ways, the monument would gently nudge France toward a long-lasting democracy.
The design and symbolism of the monument needed to reflect these values. In Laboulaye's vision, the monument would commemorate two landmarks of freedom in the United States: the Declaration of Independence and the Thirteenth Amendment, which, in 1865, had abolished slavery in the United States. Sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, a friend and colleague of Laboulaye's, agreed to design the monument. Bartholdi decided to use a goddess-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, 1776—the date that the Declaration of Independence was ratified. And beneath Liberty's feet would lie broken shackles, representing the end of slavery in the United States.
The way the statue was eventually funded also supported Laboulaye's vision. The statue was not paid for by the national governments of France and the United States, but by their people. Many ordinary French and U.S. citizens donated money to help create the statue. When funds ran short, the newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer stepped in to help raise the final funds. In his newspaper the New York World, he published an appeal urging people to donate more money. In his plea, he wrote, "Let us not wait for the millionaires to give us this money. It is not a gift from the millionaires of France to the millionaires of America, but a gift of the whole people of France to the whole people of America."
After many years of planning, fundraising, and building, the statue was finally unveiled on October 28, 1886. Some estimates suggest that as many as a million people came out to see the statue's dedication parade. It's hard to know whether the statue sped France's movement toward a democratic system, as Laboulaye had hoped. However, Lady Liberty soon became a national landmark to those wishing to find a new home and freedom in the United States.
What is the text about?
It is about the early reception of the Statue of Liberty in the United States.
It is about how the Statue of Liberty helped the French establish democracy.
It is about the original ideas and symbolism behind the Statue of Liberty.
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