And another part of the myth..it was REALLY about the French
http://www.travel-about.com/travel/10-fun-facts-about-the-statue-of-liberty-on-its-130th-birthday/
‘. At the time it was erected, Laboulaye simply hoped that the statue would spark a moment towards democracy among the French people—who, at the time, were subject to the repressive monarchy of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (Napoleon III).
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Well, the French got their “democracy,” and are having to live with the result.
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