"Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" are iconic lines from the 1883 sonnet "The New Colossus" by American poet Emma Lazarus. The poem is inscribed on a bronze plaque at the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York, symbolizing America as a welcoming beacon for refugees and immigrants.
Key Facts About the Poem:
Purpose: Written in 1883 to raise funds for the construction of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal.
Context: Lazarus, a Jewish poet, was inspired by refugees fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe.
The Full Quote:
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, / With conquering limbs astride from land to land; / Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand / A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame / Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name / Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand / Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command / The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. / "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she / With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, / I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Legacy: The poem transformed the Statue of Liberty from a symbol of republicanism into a universal symbol of freedom and welcome for immigrants. It was famously set to music by Irving Berlin.
The phrase is often invoked in debates regarding U.S. immigration policy.
