Emma Lazarus is best known forwriting the poem "The New Colossus,"which is engraved on the Statue of Liberty's pedestal.The poem includes the famous lines, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free".
Who was Emma Lazarus?
- Lazarus was a Jewish American poet, activist, and writer who lived from 1849 to 1887.
- She was born in New York City to a wealthy Sephardic Jewish family.
- She was involved in charitable work for refugees, including Jewish immigrants detained by Castle Garden immigration officials.
- She was inspired by her experiences working with refugees to write "The New Colossus".
Other facts about "The New Colossus":
- The poem was written in 1883.
- It appeared in The New York World and The New York Times after the auction.
- The song "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" was based on the poem and was featured in the 1949 musical Miss Liberty.
