Twenty Echoes

 

From 1876 to 1882, the torch of the Statue of Liberty was on display – with the attached hand and forearm – in Madison Square Park in New York City. It was there to help raise funds for the construction of the statue’s pedestal. Yes, Lady Liberty was a gift from France. But the French only donated the statue; the U.S. had to pony up for the island and base on which she stands. The original idea came from Édouard René de Laboulaye, a staunch French abolitionist who wanted to celebrate both our country’s centennial and our commitment to end slavery. But when Emma Lazarus wrote “The New Colossus” to help raise money for the pedestal construction, her focus was slightly different. Instead of the Revolutionary War or abolition, she wrote about immigrants. Emma had helped to bring Jewish refugees fleeing Europe’s pogroms to America. For her, they were the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”