Emma Lazarus

A poet, author, and translator, Emma Lazarus (1845-1887) published her first book at the age of eighteen, gaining the attention of readers, critics, and other poets. Later, after reading George Elliot's Daniel Deronda and seeing the plight of Jewish refugees from the Russian Empire, Lazarus became increasingly involved in the struggle for immigrant rights and the need to address the oppression of Jews in Eastern Europe. During this period, she was asked to write a poem to help fund a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. Her sonnet, "The New Colossus" (1883), included the now famed lines-"Give me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free"-epitomizing an epoch when the United States symbolized the world's refuge from the evils of persecution.