In the 1880s, America was beginning to feel the effects of the greatest wave of immigration in its history. Millions of people -- many of them impoverished peasants from Eastern and Southern Europe -- were pouring into the country through the port of New York. The Statue of Liberty, which was dedicated in 1886, seemed like a giant beacon in the harbor, welcoming these new Americans to the land of freedom. Those who were able to visit the statue, were also able to read Emma Lazarus' poem "The New Colossus" inscribed on the statue's base. It included these now-famous lines:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

In this activity, you will have the chance to write your own poetic welcome to America. You won't need much to do it, just a pen, a piece of paper, and your imagination!

You'd have to be living in a cave not to notice it: America is the land of the immigrant. As in Emma Lazarus's time, the United States is once again experiencing a great wave of immigration. Of course, there are many differences between immigration in Lazarus' day and immigration today! Today, most immigrants do not come from Europe; they come from Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Most come by jet, not ship. And many choose to move directly to the suburbs, especially the ones who have a little money when they arrive. One thing remains the same though: immigrants who come today do so for the same reasons as did those who came before them -- they seek freedom and opportunity for themselves and for their children.

In writing your Welcome to America poem, you have a choice: you can update Emma Lazarus' poem or you can create an entirely new one.

Before writing your poem, think about what you want to say. What does America mean to you? What do you think is special about our country? You might want to consult others, like your family, friends, or neighbors. Consider seeking out recent immigrants in your town and asking what America means to them. Here are some possible questions for immigrants: What did you think of America before you arrived? What do you think of America now? Have your hopes and dreams come true? Has America been a disappointment in any way?

Your poem can be long or short. It can tell a story or describe a scene or discuss an idea. It doesn't have to rhyme unless you want it to. You can even put it to music! Poetry is meant to be creative, so go for it!

Here are some things to think about:

You might want to try adopting a different viewpoint for your poem. You could, for example, write the poem from the perspective of a recent immigrant, or from the point of view of one of your ancestors.

Also consider choosing the voice you want to use for you poem. First person is where you write using "I" as the subject of your sentences. For example: "I arrived on Ellis Island." Second person is where you write using "you" as the subject of your sentences. For example: "You arrived on Ellis Island." Third person is where you write using "he, she, or they" as the subject of your sentences. Lazarus' poem is written in the second person: "Give me YOUR tired ... ." The famous New York poet Walt Whitman was fond of writing in the first person. To read some of Whitman's poems, go to www.poets.org.

Once you have written your poem about immigration, you might want to put it up somewhere, like a bulletin board at home or at school. Maybe you'd like to put it up in a public building, like your local library or post office. Other places to display poetry are newspapers, magazines, or the Internet.