In 1852, Napoleon III, who was the nephew of the original Napoleon, declared himself Emperor of France. He had been President of France via election since 1848, but in 1852, he declared himself a dictator and took full power over France. This, of course, angered many people in France, especially the wealthy.
During the American Revolutionary War, France sided with the American cause. They joined the American cause after the Battle of Saratoga, which was led by none other than the American traitor, Benedict Arnold, when he was still on the American side.
The French had a kinship with Americans since they joined in the cause of American freedom. During Napoleon III’s reign, an undercurrent of discontent about the lack of liberty Napoleon III was affording his people began to form.
This led to a feeling that America was moving forward in terms of liberty, as the slaves had just been freed in 1865, but France was reverting back to dictatorship. Frédéric Auguste Barthold was asked by, Édouard de Laboulaye, who was a staunch abolitionist of slavery around the world, to create the Statue of Liberty and send it to America as a show of support for their freedom and abolishing slavery.
Frédéric Auguste Barthold would travel to America to help get funding and to find a place to put the finished statue. He eventually met with President Ulysses S. Grant, who offered his support. They decided on Bedloe’s island off the southern tip of Manhattan Island.
It was a perfect location that would showcase the Statue of Liberty in the heart of the largest city in America. The famed publisher and namesake of the Pulitzer Prize, Joseph Pulitzer Prize, helped contribute the funding for the statue.
The medal work was done by the famed, Gustave Eiffel, who would later created the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel used steel rods to keep the center of the Statue of Liberty secure and to keep it from breaking.
The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in America on October 28th, 1886, after many years of fundraising and construction. It is now one of the most famous landmarks in American and a tourist attractions from tourists that come from around the world.
It is a true symbol of the hard work and dedication from people from two continents and represents liberty and freedom to millions.
Links of what was used in the research of this blog:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hidden-history-of-liberty-island-11562861125
https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/the-monument/gustave-eiffel
https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/the-monument/gustave-eiffel
https://www.history.com/topics/landmarks/statue-of-liberty
