For all of its philosophical interest in the Statue of Liberty as a monument to freedom and tolerance, the title of "The New Colossus" actually refers to a different historical landmark. If Lady Liberty is the 'new' towering statue, then the Greek Colossus at Rhodes, constructed in 280 BC, is its 'old' model and reference point. The contrast between these two carved giants, hinted at throughout the poem, provides a basis for Lazarus's understanding of contemporary American values: where the ancient Greeks conceived of their sculpture as an ode to Rhodesian superiority, power, and success in combat, the Statue of Liberty embodies the wholly different virtues of peace and "world-wide welcome" (line 7). This contrast is only heightened by Lazarus's allusions to certain shared elements. Both statues represent divine likenesses; they carry torches, tower above all surrounding topography, exhibit ornate craftsmanship, and mark boundary lines between land and sea. Over the course of 14 lines, the reader is made to consider just what distinguishes the original paragon of classical values from its later American counterpart.

Lazarus penned her sonnet at the request of an activist/artist coterie, including novelist Constance Harrison, who sought to raise funds for the Statue of Liberty's construction, refinement, and transport across the Atlantic. Both the poem and the statue that inspired it are intimately connected to their shared era of the late nineteenth century. The words liberty and freedom rang profoundly in the ears of Lazarus's American contemporaries, who had celebrated their nation's centennial only seven years earlier. What is more, the Civil War (fought between 1861 and 1865) remained fresh in the minds of most every citizen, reminding all that freedom is an impermanent, elusive condition indeed. Several European conflicts of the past three decades served to communicate a similarly jarring message: the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Crimean War in 1853-6, and climactic Italian unification of the early 1870s combined to undermine an already tentative sense of global stability. Across the Western world, paupers and princes were fighting to secure personal and political liberties. Their various victories and failures came at a weighty price.

Put simply, "The New Colossus" considers the Statue of Liberty as a symbolic ambassador to hard-won American virtues, including tolerance, independence, and the (eventual) union of all mankind. Lazarus contrasts lagging European feudalism and chaos with the "sea-washed, sunset" land tucked just behind Lady Liberty's outspread arms (2). She famously personifies the statue in the sonnet's final six lines, imploring immigrants of all classes to pursue increased comfort and happiness in the United States.