[RegulatorCountry]

The French people raised the money for the statue itself through private donations. It was called “Liberty Enlightening the World.” The Emma Lazarus poem has completely changed the meaning of the statue for most people from the original intent.

Why were the people of France so compelled by the concept of Liberty, to have commissioned that gigantic statute as a gift to the United States? What debt of gratitude did the people of France feel they owed us?

Remember, the comment of yours that prompted my reply dealt with Emerich de Vattel and the French Revolution.

[Sherman Logan]

The United States was the result of the first successful revolution against the monarchical/aristocratic Old Regime that ruled most of the world.

The French apparently felt they owed a debt to Americans as their revolution was in some sense a followup to ours. Although theirs, IMO, went wildly off the tracks due to it being based on a completely different philosophical basis from ours.

I realize you think you’re leading me into a logical trap with these questions, but I really wish you’d jump ahead to the gotcha, as I have other things to do.

[bushpilot1]

http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=3rEwG7Gd53wC&pg=PA104&dq=Principles+of+the+Law+of+Nature,+applied+to+the+Conduct+and+Affairs+of+nations+and+sovereigns+%281760%29+Vattel&hl=en&ei=EzD1S4yDLIK-rAf26aTiCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEsQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q&f=false

A 1760 Review of the 1760 English Edition Vattel..The Monthly review, Volume 23

By Ralph Griffiths