Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty

Give me your tired,  your poor
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...

Who wrote these words?  And why?

 

In 1883, Emma Lazarus, deeply moved by an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe, wrote a sonnet that was to give voice to the Statue of Liberty.  Originally a gift from France to celebrate our shared national struggles for liberty, the Statue, thanks to Emma's poem, slowly came to shape our hearts, defining us as a nation that welcomes and gives refuge to those who come to our shores.