French lawyer Édouard René Lefèbvre de Laboulaye suggested in 1865, shortly after the Civil War, that the gift of the Statue would celebrate the U.S. drive to establish a democratic state and abolish slavery. In addition, he felt that a joint French-American project would strengthen relations between the two countries. The completion of the monument was planned for 1876. However, due to political and financial problems, construction of the Statue was delayed for almost ten years.
