Following the Civil War and the end of slavery in the United States of America, a French anti-slavery activist proposed a statue representing liberty be built for the United States to honor their centennial of independence and their friendship with France.  This idea grew and in 1875 the Franco-American Union was established.  The French would pay for and create the statue, the Americans would create and pay for the pedestal.  The money was not pledged by the government or a large corporation but was raised primarily from the small contributions of individuals in both countries.

I recently visited New York harbor and saw the Statue of Liberty up close. As the ferry circled the statue the first thing I noticed was the back foot of Lady Liberty. It wasn’t firmly planted on the ground, rather the foot stood on its’ toes as though walking forward, inviting us to follow. Liberty isn’t perfect in our country or any other, yet there she stands, urging people everywhere to make their own donation to liberty, hold up its light and law in every dark corner and keep moving forward until liberty reigns everywhere.