What is Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty?
Matthew Shields
Updated on March 17, 2026
What is Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty?
“The New Colossus” is a sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus (1849–1887). She wrote the poem in 1883 to raise money for the construction of a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World). In 1903, the poem was cast onto a bronze plaque and mounted inside the pedestal’s lower level.
What is written on the book on the Statue of Liberty?
A gift from the people of France, she has watched over New York Harbor since 1886, and on her base is a tablet inscribed with words penned by Emma Lazarus in 1883: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
What does the inscription on the Statue of Liberty say?
Give me your tired
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Why is she referred to as the Mother of Exiles?
The nickname — symbolizing the United States as a nation of immigrants — was imagined by the poet Emma Lazarus, who in 1883 wrote the sonnet “The New Colossus” to raise money to create the statue’s pedestal.
What is the quote on the Statue of Liberty meaning?
“The Statue of Liberty says, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,'” Acosta told Miller. “The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of liberty enlightening the world,” Miller said. “It’s a symbol of American liberty lighting the world. The poem that you’re referring to was added later.
Does the Statue of Liberty have chains on her feet?
A broken shackle and chain lie at the Statue’s right foot. The chain disappears beneath the draperies, only to reappear in front of her left foot, its end link broken. However, although the broken shackle is a powerful image, the meaning behind it was not yet a reality for African Americans in 1886.
What does the golden door mean?
The golden door is a beacon of promise beckoning immigrants to embrace a new land and all it offers. Another meaning of the golden door is that anything worthwhile is worth fighting and working hard for, and gold is emblematic of something of worth.
What does storied pomp mean?
Keep, ancient lands
cheap or pretentious or vain display. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!”
What book is Lady Liberty holding?
the Declaration of Independence
It is a statue of a woman holding a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand with the date of the Declaration of Independence in Roman numerals: July 4, 1776.
Why does the Statue of Liberty have 7 spikes?
The seven spikes represent the seven seas and seven continents of the world, according to the Web sites of the National Park Service and the Statue of Liberty Club.
What does broken chain symbolize?
Complete answer: -The Broken chain was used to fetter slaves. A broken chain symbolized the freedom from slavery. -One rod can be easily broken, but not an entire bundle, the bundle of Rods or Fasces.
Why is the colossus called the Mother of Exiles?
Who was Emma Lazarus and what did she write?
Emma Lazarus was a renowned Jewish-American writer whose most famous poem, ‘The New Colossus,’ is immortalized on the Statue of Liberty. WIkimedia Commons/Getty Images Emma Lazarus’ mighty words in ‘The New Colossus’ hang on a plaque on the Statue of Liberty.
Did Emma Lazarus really see the Statue of Liberty?
By all accounts, Emma Lazarus had never even seen the Statue of Liberty when she wrote the piece, nor did she care for its intended meaning by the French — a larger-than-life symbol of Republicanism and the end of slavery. Immigration policy has long been a dividing issue in the U.S.
What is the inscription on the Statue of Liberty?
Statue of Liberty Inscription. The Statue of Liberty Inscription, “The New Colossus,” was written by Emma Lazarus in 1883 and then made into a bronze plaque placed inside the Statue of Liberty. Learn more about visiting the Statue of Liberty Museum and seeing the New Colossus.
Who wrote the New Colossus on the Statue of Liberty?
The Statue of Liberty Inscription, “The New Colossus,” was written by Emma Lazarus in 1883 and then made into a bronze plaque placed inside the Statue of Liberty. The New Colossus – Statue of Liberty Inscription Statue of Liberty Inscription, “The New Colossus”