Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Emma Lazarus
Emma Lazarus
Reading Comprehension for July 22
The Statue of Liberty stands on an island in New York City's harbor. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi took his inspiration for Lady Liberty from another large statue that stood in a harbor. A statue of the Greek sun god, Helios, was built to stand at the harbor on an island called Rhodes in the Mediterranean Sea. The Colossus of Rhodes was completed in 280 B.C. This statue stood 110 feet high and took twelve years to construct. It stood overlooking the harbor of Rhodes for fifty-four years. An earthquake in 226 B.C. destroyed the statue beyond repair. Although the statue no longer exists, it is still considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French people to the people of America. It was designed and sculpted by Bartholdi. The statue is made of an iron frame covered with large sheets of copper and stands 305 feet high. The Statue of Liberty reached America in 1885.
After the statue was designed, it was agreed that France would provide the statue and the U.S. would provide a pedestal for it to stand on. A large auction was held to raise money for this pedestal. One of the organizers of the event went to a young poet in New York. He asked her to write a sonnet that could be auctioned off to raise money for the pedestal. The young poet's name was Emma Lazarus.
