Statue of Liberty Lecture @ 92YTribeca

Being a die hard New Yorker, I thought, what do I know about "our" Lady of Liberty; one of the world's most iconic figures, other than what the Coneheads would say, "I am from France."  So, I decided to learn information in order to impress - WHOMEVER.  The Statue was not originally intended for the U.S.  It was first offered to Egypt, to be situated at the entrance to the Suez Canal. But then in 1869, their country went bankrupt and that went kaput.  The ($18) lecture was given by Prof.  Berenson, Dir. of the Institute of French Studies @ NYU & author of "The Statue of Liberty."  The original idea for creating a commemorative icon of freedom stemmed from 3 French intellectuals shortly after the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. and Pres. Lincoln's assassination.  Of these men, Bartholdi is credited with the design and fruition of bringing the Statue to NYC's harbors.  No govt. funds from either France or the U.S. was used to build, transport or renovate the statue.  All monies raised was by private  donors in France.  The U.S. paid for its base and renovations; all from the private sector.  Lazarus' poem, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," was auctioned off to raise $ but didn't garner much. The lecture enlightened me and inspired me. YEAH, WHATEVER!