November 2: The New Colossus
On this date in 1883, Emma Lazarus wrote the sonnet, “The New Colossus.” Its lines appear on a bronze plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in 1912. The sonnet was solicited by William Maxwell Evarts as a donation to an auction, conducted by the “Art Loan Fund Exhibition in Aid of the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund for the Statue of Liberty” to raise funds to build the pedestal. Listen to her poem on Lit2Go.
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Emma Lazarus
Original portrait by FCIT of Emma Lazarus, author of “The New Colossus.”
Listen to "The New Colossus" on Lit2Go
Emma Lazarus is best known for “The New Colossus,” a sonnet written in 1883. Available on the Lit2Go website. Duration: 1 minute.
"The New Colossus" PDF
One-page PDF by FCIT of “The New Colossus” available on the Lit2Go website.
Ellis Island
Illustration of immigrants being processed at Ellis Island from the ClipArt ETC website. Twelve million immigrants passed through Ellis Island before it was closed in 1954.
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal statue on Liberty Island, N.Y. On Oct. 28, 1886, after more than 12 years of preparation, the statue, given by the people of France to the United States, was dedicated and unveiled in New York harbor. Illustration from the ClipArt ETC website.
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was a French sculptor, most famous for the Statue of Liberty. Illustration from the ClipArt ETC website.
Liberty Island
Liberty Island is indicated on this map of New York City and Vicinity, 1888, two years after the Statue of Liberty was dedicated. This map is one of many New York maps on the Maps ETC website.