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In 1865, Professor Édouard René Lefebvre de Laboulaye gives a dinner party at his home near Versailles, France.
The professor is an expert on the history of the United States, where the Civil War has just ended. Laboulaye is glad that the Union won and slavery has been abolished.
The conversation turns to politics. The guests recall how the French had sent soldiers, arms, ships, and money to the U.S. to help the colonists gain independence from Great Britain. They remark on the long-standing friendship between the two nations. They also talk about their shared ideals of freedom. After all, between 1789 and 1792, the French had also fought for their freedom in the French Revolution, overthrowing King Louis XVI.
Suddenly, Laboulaye makes a startling suggestion. Why not honor the ideal of democracy and build a monument as a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States?
That was how it all began. Laboulaye’s surprising idea turned into a 21-year labor of love that became the most powerful symbol of freedom in the world.
In the late 1860s, Bartholdi designed a huge lighthouse to be placed at the entrance to the Suez Canal. He called it Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia. Although the lighthouse was never built, his model showed how the Statue of Liberty might look. ▶
◀ At Laboulaye’s dinner party was 31-year-old sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. Already well known in France, he was intrigued by the idea of creating a monument to celebrate the ideal of freedom and the friendship between France and the United States. It would become Bartholdi’s obsession to see that dream become a reality.
▲ Here is Bartholdi’s sketch of the Statue of Liberty, which he drew in 1883.
▲ A worldwide symbol of freedom and hope, the Statue of Liberty welcomes all who enter New York Harbor. When completed in 1886, it was the tallest structure in New York City, at 305 feet. This photo was taken in 1890.
Both the American Revolution and the French Revolution were fought for the ideals of freedom and equality. The United States achieved its goal. It formed a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, in which representatives elected by the citizens make decisions. The French, on the other hand, found themselves involved in a long, bloody civil war, known as the Reign of Terror. It was followed by decades of political upheaval.
