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Historical lessonCivicUplifting

The New Colossus

Emma Lazarus makes welcome vivid by replacing an image of conquest with a human invitation.

Speaking time
8 sec
Words on this page
13

A sourced excerpt

Read it like a speaker

Make cue cards

01

Welcome excerpt

Turn a broad value into an invitation people can picture.

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Say it: Lift your eyes before the line and leave a quiet beat after “free.”

Speaker’s notebook

Why it works

  1. 1The line addresses people directly rather than describing welcome in the abstract.
  2. 2Concrete human images make the value of generosity memorable.
  3. 3The sentence grows in emotional scale while remaining easy to follow aloud.

Details to notice

The speech’s center

Speaker or role
Emma Lazarus
Room
Readers supporting the Statue of Liberty pedestal fund
Ideas
WelcomeBelongingHopeGenerosity

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Second Inaugural Address

Lincoln’s closing pairs generosity with moral firmness, then turns the audience toward the practical work of repair.

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A volunteer coordinator thanks the team by following one shift from practical tasks to a concrete result, giving visible and behind-the-scenes work credit.