Statue of Liberty and immigrants in America
The Statue of Liberty, dedicated on October 28, 1886, on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, is a monumental symbol of freedom and hope for immigrants arriving in the United States. Originally intended to commemorate liberty following the French and American revolutions, the statue took on a deeper significance as a beacon for millions of immigrants who passed by her on their way to a new life in America, particularly through Ellis Island. Standing at 305 feet, her towering presence offered a powerful image of opportunity, especially after arduous journeys.
A pivotal aspect of her legacy is linked to Emma Lazarus's 1883 poem "The New Colossus," which describes the statue as the "Mother of Exiles," welcoming those in need and promising them the chance to "breathe free." This connection to the immigrant experience has been embraced over the years, particularly during challenging periods such as World War II, when many fled persecution in Europe. The ongoing relevance of the Statue of Liberty is highlighted by its designation as a World Heritage site in 1984 and its enduring popularity as a tourist destination, with millions visiting annually. As contemporary discussions surrounding immigration continue, the statue remains a powerful reminder of the contributions immigrants have made to shaping American identity and values.
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Statue of Liberty and immigrants in America
THE EVENT: Dedication of a monument given to the United States (US) by France that would come to embody the ideal of America as a haven for new immigrants
DATE: Dedicated on October 28, 1886
LOCATION: Liberty Island, New York Harbor
SIGNIFICANCE: Originally intended to symbolize the concept of liberty in the French and American revolutions, during the twentieth century, the Statue of Liberty would increasingly come to represent the possibility of new life in America for all immigrants passing by her and the vision of America as a multicultural society strong because of its diversity.
The Statue of Liberty came to connect with the immigrant experience in two specific ways. Most directly and immediately, for all the millions passing into the US through Ellis Island at the port of New York City, the statue’s towering presence (305 feet high from the ground to the top of her torch) would have been an unforgettable image and symbol of the new land they were entering, at a moment when their expectations and anticipations were raised high after a long and perhaps difficult journey.
Even more significant, in the long run, would be the influence of a poem written in 1883 as a donation to a charity event raising money to pay for the pedestal upon which the Statue of Liberty would stand. For that auction, Emma Lazarus, an American-born Jew and recognized member of the New York literati, contributed “The New Colossus,” a sonnet that would become one of the poems most widely memorized by American schoolchildren of the twentieth century. The poem alludes to the Statue of Liberty as the “Mother of Exiles.” In its famous closing lines, Lazarus has the statue address the world directly, offering needy immigrants shelter, succor, and, most powerfully, the opportunity “to breathe free.”
Lazarus herself became a strong advocate for Russian Jews fleeing pogroms and persecutions in their homeland. She died of Hodgkin’s disease at the age of thirty-eight on November 19, 1887, just over one year after the Statue of Liberty was dedicated. As a tribute to her in 1903, friends succeeded in having a plaque inscribed with “The New Colossus” and the poem placed inside the statue’s pedestal where visitors could read and reflect. That plaque has remained a significant component of the Statue of Liberty Museum.
During the 1930s, Louis Adamic and other writers and public speakers who championed America’s pluralism helped promote the connection between the image of the Statue of Liberty and the ideas in “The New Colossus.” Adamic recited the poem in radio addresses, reaching millions of listeners. With the advent of World War II, the idea of the great statue as a “Mother of Exiles” took on even deeper resonance for those fleeing totalitarian regimes and the Holocaust in Europe.
In 1965, Ellis Island, the former entry site for millions of nineteenth- and twentieth-century immigrants, was incorporated into the nearby Statue of Liberty National Monument. In 1984, in preparation for the 1986 centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations named the statue a World Heritage site.
The Statue of Liberty remains a popular tourist site in the twenty-first century. Although it was restricted to visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2023, the Statue of Liberty was visited by approximately 3.74 million people. This still represents a decline from pre-COVID numbers in 2019. The Statue of Liberty remains an image that confirms the US as a nation of immigrants seeking escape from poverty and persecution through new beginnings in America. The Statue of Liberty welcomed immigrants and presented to them an enduring hope for a better life. As the US continues to struggle with issues of immigration in the twenty-first century, the Statue of Liberty stands as a testament to the role immigrants played in shaping America.
Bibliography
Eggers, Dave. "The Statue of Liberty Was Built to Welcome Immigrants—That Welcome Must Not End." Guardian, 4 July 2016, www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jul/04/the-statue-of-liberty-immigrants-independence-day. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.
"The Immigrant's Statue - Statue Of Liberty National Monument." US National Park Service, 26 Feb. 2015, www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/the-immigrants-statue.htm. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
Mitchell, Elizabeth. Liberty's Torch: The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty. Atlantic Monthly, 2014.
Moreno, Barry. The Statue of Liberty. Arcadia, 2004.
Moreno, Barry. The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia. Simon, 2000.
Schor, Esther. Emma Lazarus. Schocken, 2006.
"Statue of Liberty Visitors US 2023." Statista, 8 Apr. 2024, www.statista.com/statistics/254218/number-of-visitors-to-the-statue-of-liberty-in-the-us. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.