9781422274095

A HISTORY AND OVERVIEW OF IMMIGRATION

Located on a plaque that is affixed to the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island in New York City is a sonnet composed by Emma Lazarus in 1883. This sonnet is entitled “The New Colossus.” It reads: 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-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” 1

The last lines of this sonnet have become a part of American culture. For many people, it represents the ide- als that make America a great country. Those ideals are ones of a free country that welcomes everyone to come and make a life for himself or herself, no matter where they are from. They are the same ideals that make the United States a place of refuge for many immigrants who come from

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