The New Colossus

'The New Colossus' is a sonnet written by the American poet Emma Lazarus in 1883. She wrote the poem to raise money for the construction of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. It was published just a few years before the statue was officially dedicated in 1886.

The famous lines of the poem are inscribed on a bronze plaque mounted inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The plaque was not added until 1903, nearly 20 years after Lazarus wrote the poem, thanks to the efforts of her friend Georgina Schuyler. It is located inside the museum at the statue's base.

The most famous lines from the poem are: 'Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.' These lines are spoken by the Statue of Liberty, whom Lazarus personifies as the 'Mother of Exiles.' The quote contrasts the welcoming nature of the statue with the conquering nature of the ancient Colossus of Rhodes.

Emma Lazarus wrote the poem as a donation to an auction raising funds for the Statue of Liberty's pedestal. At the time, she was deeply moved by the plight of Jewish refugees fleeing antisemitic pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe. She viewed the Statue of Liberty not as a monument to American power, but as a beacon of hope for immigrants.