What did the Statue of Liberty mean to immigrants?
The Statue of Liberty is arguably one of the most prominent symbols of democracy in the world. Immigrants who first saw this great statue understood that their long journey to freedom was finally complete.HistoryThe Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the U.S., in recognition of their shared values of freedom and democracy. It was first dedicated in 1886.Emma LazarusOne of the most famous reactions to the Statue of Liberty and what it represented was Emma Lazarus, who wrote the 1883 poem “The New Colossus” in a fundraising effort for the pedestal of the Statue. Although she died shortly after it was erected, in 1903 her poem was immortalized in a plaque at the base of the statue.The InscriptionA recent Jewish immigrant herself, Emma Lazarus’ poem captures the feelings of gratitude of many immigrants of the era to the United States, which said “Give me your tired, your poor; Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore; Send these, the h
