Question

a symbol of freedom
edouard de laboulaye, a french writer
and law professor, admired the freedoms
enjoyed in the united states. he
supported abraham lincolns freeing of
slaves during the civil war. after the war,
in 1865, he suggested that france present
a statue to the u.s. the statue was meant
to honor lincoln and american
democracy. at that time, the french
people had little say in their government.
laboulaye hoped the statue would
encourage the french to demand more freedom at home. work
began on the project in 1875. ten years later, the statue, known
as the statue of liberty, finally arrived in new york.
what is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
edouard de laboulaye wanted the statue of liberty to
inspire freedom and democracy in france.
edouard de laboulaye came up with the idea for the
statue of liberty after the american civil war ended.

Explanation:

The passage starts by introducing Edouard de Laboulaye, his admiration for US freedoms, support for Lincoln's actions. Then it mentions his suggestion of the statue to honor Lincoln and American democracy. Also, it states that at that time French had little say in government and Laboulaye hoped the statue would encourage French to demand more freedom. So the main idea is about his intention behind the statue related to inspiring freedom and democracy (both in the US as honored and hoped in France). The second option just mentions the time of the idea which is a detail, not the central idea.

Answer:

Edouard de Laboulaye wanted the Statue of Liberty to inspire freedom and democracy in France.