# I know France gave us the Statue of Liberty... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 1999, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557 "1999-12-24T05:14:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/1 "1999-12-24T05:14:00Z")
…to celebrate 100 years of freedom. Did we ever give anything back? (I hope we sent a nice “thank you” card!) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/2 "1999-12-24T05:16:00Z")
The lives of how many Americans in two wars. * * * If you can’t convince them, confuse them. Harry S. Truman ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/3 "1999-12-24T05:20:00Z")
And Jerry Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/4 "1999-12-24T05:21:00Z")
1. World War I - “Lafayette, We are here.” 2. World War II 3. Marshall Plan ---
**Author:** ![Moonshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Moonshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonshine)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/5 "1999-12-24T10:38:00Z")
Hmmm, are we all so sure there wasn’t a healthy amount of self-interest involved in Numbers 1-3? I’d say the Frenchy got to thumb their noses at the British one more time, isn’t that reward enough? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/6 "1999-12-24T12:33:00Z")
Not to mention legions of tourists who think that every French male is Maurice Chevalier, ever French female is Brigitte Bardot, and the French word for waiter is “garsawn!” ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/7 "1999-12-24T12:41:00Z")
Actually, IIRC, the statue was a thank-you from the french after they gained their own independence. French revolution was based on our own quest for independence. ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/8 "1999-12-24T12:50:00Z")
[http://www.rrstar.com/history/lib2.html](http://www.rrstar.com/history/lib2.html) The above site gives a story from the sculptor (Bartholdi) that mentions the “ancient friendship” between the two nations. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/9 "1999-12-24T22:39:00Z")
Don’t forget that the statue had to sit in pieces for years before New York could build a stand to put her on. We weren’t in the best of finacial shape when the gift arrived. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 1999, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-france-gave-us-the-statue-of-liberty/5557/10 "1999-12-25T00:38:00Z")
Hmmm. there was a long discussion about Liberty’s bra size here without much decision… France? We gave them better cheese & wine.