Recommended by Kate H. Wow!! I'm sad to say I never knew or already forgot that the Statue of Liberty originally had nothing to do with immigrants. Writer Emma Lazarus was asked to contribute to a compilation of writings to raise money for the statue's pedestal. Knowing where the statue would be placed, and of the immigrants' long journey, poverty, and often cold welcome in the U.S., she composed "The New Colossus," which concludes with the famous "give me your tired, your poor" lines, and helped the statue become the beacon of welcome that it is today.