Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free They are the words inscribed on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty. For many, these words are proof that welcoming immigrants and refugees are as fundamental to what it means to be American as the idea of “liberty” itself. Learn about how Emma Lazarus came to place them there. This story is abbreviated. [View the original here.](https://www.mcny.org/story/new-colossus)