Lady Liberty and Immigration

The statue became especially associated with immigrants to America largely due to proximity to Ellis Island and one particular poem.

As European immigrants streamed into New York at the turn of the twentieth century, Lady Liberty became the first thing that they saw upon approaching land. This made the statue an important symbol for the immigrants hoping to find opportunity in America. The notion that the statue stood to welcome immigrants was furthered by the 1903 creation of a sonnet by Jewish poet, Emma Lazarus, which seemed to speak to the oppressed masses arriving from Europe.

 “The Proposed Emigrant Dumping Site” from Judge Magazine, March 22, 1890. Courtesy of The National Park Service.

“The Proposed Emigrant Dumping Site” from Judge Magazine, March 22, 1890. Courtesy of The National Park Service.

The sonnet reads :

“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!”

As the statue became a hopeful symbol for new immigrants, it also became a contentious symbol for nativist and xenophobic groups opposed to immigration. In fact, the symbolism behind the statue largely changed in accordance with public debates concerning immigration policy.

Prior to passage of the restrictive Immigration Act of 1924, for example, public opposition to unchecked immigration ran high. For many, the statue represented a perceived danger in opening national borders. After the Immigration Act took effect, such groups tended to view the Statue of Liberty more favorably as representing a nostalgia-tinged bygone era. This view would again reverse, as public opinion shifted in favor of open immigration in response to the refugee crisis brought on by World War II.

Lady Liberty clearly has the ability to mean different things to different people at different times. Its message moves far beyond freedom and liberty, and its symbolism often appears as malleable as her thin, copper skin.

Resources for Further Study