02/10/2026
This year marks 140 years since the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886. She was a gift from France; an idea born to Frenchman Edouard de Laboulaye in 1865 and designed by sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. The statue encompasses meaningful symbolism and celebrates America’s liberty and freedom. Much went into the fundraising and construction by both the French and American people, as more than 20 years passed between thought to construction to dedication.
Also notable was the sonnet by Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”, which was originally penned in 1883 as part of an art and literary auction raising funds for the construction of the statue’s pedestal. Lazarus was born in New York City in 1849, and although not an immigrant herself, she volunteered her time helping refugees, and her poem was a reflection of these encounters. Lazarus passed only a year after the statue’s dedication; her poem was rediscovered in 1901 and subsequently inscribed on Lady Liberty’s pedestal in 1903.
The New Colossus 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!”
She is an icon, a national treasure, and one of the most recognizable figures in the world. Each year millions who cherish her ideals make the journey to experience her history and grandeur in person. She is the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom, inspiration, and hope.
