by Martin Haschka

Created on: August 25, 2009   Last Updated: August 26, 2009

On June 17, 1885, the French frigate Isere arrived at New York's harbour, carrying a unique gift to the people of the United States of America: The Statue of Liberty! Packed into 214 crates the 350 pieces were to be assembled on Bedloe's Island as a monument to the friendship between France and the United States; a friendship that was established more than one hundred years earlier during the American Revolution.

Benjamin Franklin played a vital role establishing this long lasting friendship. As commissioner of the Continental Congress to France he sailed to Europe in October 1776 in order to gain the support of Britain's long time enemy as. His rustic charm soon made him a popular public figure in France with strong influence on public opinion and some decision makers.

Earlier that year the Declaration of Independence inevitably had heated up the conflict with the British who had no intention of giving up control over their renegade North American provinces. The young American army was highly motivated, but ill equipped and only badly trained. It seemed unlikely that it could withstand the British army with its highly skilled tacticians and soldiers. Additional aid was needed.

French interest in the success of the American Revolution was not altruistic. While the French Monarchy and ruling class had no sympathy for the cause of the American Rebels itself, they understood well that supporting the United States would serve their own interests.

Britain and France had a strong and recent history of conflicts. In May 1754 the Battle of Jumonville Glen (Pennsylvania) sparked the outbreak of the French and Indian War. In 1756 Europe also caught fire, when both sides tried to shift alliances across the Old Continent. By 1757 the conflict spread to India. When finally the peace treaty was signed in 1763, the French navy was crippled, the country's finances and resources depleted, and France's influence in India and North America largely lost to the British.

To support the Patriot's Army in North America was a welcome opportunity not only to take revenge on the British but also to weaken their position worldwide. Yet France was reluctant to openly support Benjamin Franklin's cause. Chances seemed too slim for success to engage once more into open hostilities against Britain and risk retaliation, especially after the news of battles won by the enemy became known. In addition, the French Navy still was in bad shape and so where the countrie's finances.

Instead, France agreed

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