You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart radio and Grimm and mild from

Aaron Manky.

At Warr de la Belay, had long been one of America's most impassioned supporters.

Considered one of the most notable political thinkers of his time, he fully endorsed the

idea that people were born with the right to freedom and spent his life working toward

democratic rule instead of monarchy.

After the American Civil War ended in 1865, Eduardo wanted to show his appreciation

for Abraham Lincoln and the Constitution.

During a meeting with his fellow countrymen, he proposed that the people of France should

send America a gift, a symbol of their newly cemented ideology of freedom and democracy.

He hoped the gesture wouldn't be lost on the people of France and that they too might

embrace democracy.

It took some time before France approved his suggestion.

In September of 1875, Eduardo announced his idea had become a reality with the French

public financing the project.

Sculptor Frederick Auguste Bortolte would create a magnificent bronze statue representing

America.

The project, Liberty enlightening the world, had commenced.

In 1883, Emma Lazarus wrote the poem The New Colossus to raise money from the American

public for the Statue of Liberty's pedestal.

To this day, one line stands out, perhaps the most.

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

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