207. "The New Colossus" Plaque
The statue wasn’t a success initially. One British journalist observed, “America did not want the statue. She took it because it was offered.” Liberty Enlightening the World was meant to be a working lighthouse symbolizing freedom, shining across the Atlantic. But the torch was too dim to be useful, invisible in fog. It began to fall into disrepair almost immediately.
The poet Emma Lazarus had written a sonnet for a fundraiser for the plinth in 1883, thinking of Russian Jews fleeing pogroms. The poem had been forgotten and was not even mentioned in her New York Times obituary four years later. Georgina Schuyler discovered it in 1901. She was a progressive, alarmed at the anti-immigrant fervor in the country, and began a quest to have a plaque with the poem installed at the base of the statue, which it was in 1903. From that time on, the “mighty woman” began to acquire a new symbolism.
The New Colossus[1] by Emma Lazarus 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!”
Links:
This post is part of The American 250, a series featuring 250 objects made by Americans, located in America, in honor of the country's 250th anniversary. 250 words on 250 works, from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
Too many emails? To receive a weekly recap instead, please subscribe on my Substack blog. Instructions for turning on the weekly summary can be found here.
[1] The Colossus of Rhodes, a giant statue of the Greek sun god Helios, was erected in 280 BC and felled by an earthquake 54 years later. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_of_Rhodes
