The Statue Of Liberty - A Pioneer of Crowdfunding.

In Year 1885, the Statue of Liberty was awaiting to be assembled in New York. Unfortunately, due to an economic depression, the government lack public financing to erect the foundation and ...SHE... was almost got shipped to Egypt!

This is because Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the creator of Lady Liberty, inspired by the Sphinx and the pyramids superb architecture - had initially designed her to be a Egyptian peasant woman holding a lantern at the entrance of the Suez Canal to be a symbolic inspiration of “Egypt Carrying Light to Asia!

Thankfully, Joseph Pulitzer and his newspaper, “The World,” turned to an early concept of Crowdfunding by appealing to the average man on the street with a very unique and enticing proposition not be missed in one's generation lifetime! 

“Let us not wait for the millionaires

to give us money,”  - Joseph Pulitzer

Any donation regardless of amount, would have the donors name published in his very established and popular newspaper - for the world to know about! In those days, this was indeed very significant - as an average human's name was only published twice in one's lifetime to no significance - At Birth & In Death...

Eventually, Joseph Pulitzer generated an awe-inspiring $100,000 in five months through micro donations. The most incredible aspect of his campaign is that the over 120,000 donations were in most cases less than a dollar ...but as he had promised, every donor's name was successfully published in his newspaper where ink & paper was still a rather rare commodity to have!

History showed this proved to be a very significant milestone in for America as The Statue Of Liberty was erected at New York Harbor during the same point in time America was experiencing an upswing in immigration from Europe. Why?

This was because SHE was the first sight to greet them after travelling weeks across thousand of miles across the Ocean that enlighten and warmed their hearts from the poem “The New Colossus” inscribed at the base of the statue below - that undoubtedly helped many new Americans to cement the feelings of renewed hope of establishing and integrating social & culture cohesion bonds- with deep respect for each another to start new beginnings for a better future! 

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!