Statue of Liberty the decade. The Liberty statue project was not the only such undertaking that had difficulty raising money: construction of the obelisk later known as the Washington Monument sometimes stalled for years; it would ultimately take over three-and-a-half decades to complete. There was criticism both of Bartholdi's statue and of the fact that the gift required Americans to foot the bill for the pedestal. In the years following the Civil War, most Americans preferred realistic artworks depicting heroes and events from the nation's history, rather than allegorical works like the Liberty statue. There was also a feeling that Americans should design
Replicas of the Statue of Liberty and Puerto Rico. The Boy Scouts of the Philippines, on the other hand, received its own replica in the early part of 1950. The statues were donated by the Boy Scouts of America as “an expression of scout brotherhood and goodwill.” Not surprisingly, their 40th anniversary theme was “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty.” Miniature versions of the statue were also given as gifts. In fact, the Philippines became the first independent nation to receive one of the 4,000 eight-inch statues from the Boy Scouts of America. In April 1950, the said statue was officially given by Chief Scout Executive Arthur