As a supporter of the Union’s efforts during the Civil War, he saw the monument as “a common work of both our nations,” freedom for France and an end to slavery in America. Édouard René de Laboulaye (la-bō-lay’) was president of the French Anti-Slavery Society. Most obscure is what prompted the writing of the poem. Even less well known is that these familiar words are from a largely unknown poem. People don’t know what prompted France to design, build, and donate the statue to America.
President Grover Cleveland presided over the event.īut as with every aspect of American history, there’s a lot more to the story. After the parts were reassembled and the pedestal was constructed, the statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
The poem title was a reference to the Greek Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.įrance gave the statue to America in 1885. She donated the poem to raise money for the construction of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. American poet Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) wrote the poem “The New Colossus” in 1883.
This oft-quoted phrase is actually a small part of a poem. It’s used to promote unfettered and unrestricted immigration. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses …” is on a plaque of the Statue of Liberty pedestal.
