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France did not "have to" build the monument, but a French sculptor, Bartholdi, had the original idea and eventualy built the statue. A well-known engineer, Gustave Eiffel (the same who gave his name to the Eiffel tower) build the internal skeleton of the statue.
The statue was paid for by the French people as a gift. The contributions were all made voluntarily, and even a great number of people with modest means did contribute.
The SOL was presented by the people of France to the United States in 1886 to celebrate its centennial.

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12y ago

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