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Family Tree Nuts, History & Genealogy Service

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FIRST IMMIGRANT THROUGH ELLIS ISLAND! ANNIE MOORE! HISTORY!

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CyArk is a non profit organization founded in 2003 to digitally record, archive and share the world's cultural heritage and ensure that these places continue to inspire wonder and curiosity for decades to come.

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Ellis Island Interactive Tour With Facts, Pictures, Video | Scholastic.com

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Learn about immigration on Ellis Island in this interactive, virtual tour. Facts about immigration, pictures of Ellis Island, oral histories, and videos help explain the immigration process to kids.

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Interviewee: Elda Del Bino Willitts
Date of Birth: April 28, 1911
Date of Interview: November 9, 1990
Interviewer: Paul E. Sigrist, Jr.
Immigrated from Lucca, Italy at Age 5 in 1916
Ellis Island Collection: EI-8

When I got on the boat, I was only five and this little, this gentleman who had been back and forth several times, and well my mother took a liking to him because he was so knowledgeable about it. He spoke Italian. And so he took me on a walk one day and he said, "You know what? When you get over to Ellis Island they're going to be examining your eyes with a hook," and he says, "Don't let them do it because you know what? They did it to me one eye fell in my pocket. (Paul laughs) So you can imagine how I entered this...So we get over there and everybody has to pass and I'm on the floor screaming. I passed without a physical. I passed the eye test because the other seven passed.

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Elda Remembers The Eye Exam - Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

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Interviewee: Elda Del Bino Willitts Date of Birth: April 28, 1911 Date of Interview: November 9, 1990 Interviewer: Paul E. Sigrist, Jr. Immigrated from Lucca, Italy at Age 5 in 1916 Ellis Island Collection: EI-8 When I got on the boat, I was only five and this little, this gentleman who had been back and forth several times, and well my mother took a liking to him because he was so knowledgeable about it.

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The Industrial Revolution began in the cloth industry. Before that time making cloth was a slow process. After the wool was gathered it had to be spun into yarn and then woven into fabric by hand. In 1733 an invention called a flying shuttle made it easier to weave cloth. A machine called a spinning jenny, invented in 1770, made it easier to spin yarn. In 1793 Eli Whitney invented a machine called a cotton gin. It helped clean cotton after it was picked.

Whitney also came up with the idea of interchangeable parts. Before that time a worker who was skilled at making one type of product would spend a great deal of time making a single product by hand. Whitney discovered that a machine could make many copies of the individual parts of a product at once; the parts could then be assembled by any worker. This meant that many goods could be produced quickly. Soon factories were set up to produce these goods.

Factories and the machines in them needed power sources. In the early 1700s people discovered how to build steam engines. In the late 1700s James Watt invented a steam engine that could run factory machines.

The Industrial Revolution soon spread to all kinds of production. Farmers, for instance, began to invent new machines to plow fields and plant crops.

Soon people needed a way to bring in raw materials to make the products. They also wanted to be able to send the finished products to customers. This led to improvements in transportation. Robert Fulton perfected the steamboat in 1807. George Stephenson put a steam engine on wheels and put the wheels on rails in 1825. The result was a railroad.

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The Industrial Revolution was a period of major changes in the way products are made. It took place more than 200 years ago and greatly affected the way people lived as well...

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Definition of Push and Pull factors of Italian Migration to America
This article explains the Push and Pull factors of Italian Migration to America for kids. What are Push and Pull Factors that relate to Italy and what do they mean? The push and pull definitions are as follows:

Push factors are the reasons why people left Italy, such as persecution, fear, natural disasters, poverty and unemployment

Pull factors are the reasons why people moved to the United States of America in search of freedom, safety, stability and new opportunities

Push and Pull factors of Italian Migration to America for kids: Political, Economic, Social & Environmental Reasons
The push and pull factors of Italian Migration are dictated by economic, political, environmental and social reasons. Discover specific events in the history of Italy that prompted Italian people to leave their homes to start a new life in America.

Examples of Push and Pull factors of Italian Migration to America

Examples and List of Push and Pull factors of Italian Migration to America

Push Pull factors of Italian Migration for kids: Pull Push factors of Italy
To discover the full story of the Pull Push factors of Italy go to Italian Immigration to America for comprehensive facts, laws and history.

Push and Pull factors of Italian Migration: Political Examples of of Push and Pull factors in Italy
Find examples of Political Push and Pull factors such as significant historical events in Italian history such as wars, political autocracy, political corruption and violent conflicts which prompted the migration of Italian people .

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push and pull factors of italian migration

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Push and Pull factors of Italian Migration

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Find EXAMPLES of Push and Pull factors of Italian Migration for kids. List of Push and Pull factors of immigration from Italy to America. Economic, political, environmental, social Push and Pull factors of Italian Migration to America for kids, children, homework and schools.

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Many of us are familiar with Ellis Island's history, but do you know who the first immigrant to step foot on Ellis Island was? It all started with one teenager-Annie Moore. On January 1st, 1892, Annie Moore stepped onto Ellis Island ... and into history.

She was the first of 12 million immigrants to arrive on the island, and instantly became a symbol of those coming to America in search of a better life. Since becoming the first immigrant to Ellis Island, Annie's story has been celebrated in art, story, and song. We'll walk you through the rich history of Ellis Island and the importance it played on immigration in the United States.

Annie Moore's early life

Annie Moore was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1877. On December 20th, 1891, Annie and her younger brothers Anthony and Phillip boarded the S.S. Nevada bound for New York. The trio spent 12 days at sea amongst 148 passengers in steerage. After passing through Ellis Island on January 1st (Annie's 15th birthday), Annie and her brothers were reunited with their parents, who'd arrived the year before.

Annie even showed up in a New York Times article of Ellis Island's opening. As the article wrote, "there was much anxiety among the new-comers to be the first to land at the new station. The honor was reserved for a little rosy-cheeked Irish girl. "

"She was Annie Moore, fifteen years of age... As soon as the gangplank was run ashore, Annie tripped across it and hurried into the big building... When the little voyager had been registered Col. Weber presented her with a ten-dollar gold piece and made a short address of congratulation and welcome. It was the first United States coin she had ever seen and the largest sum of money she ever possessed. She says she will never part with it."

Annie's story then reportedly took her west, where her family pursued the American dream. She eventually reached Texas, where she married a descendant of the Irish liberator Daniel O'Connell and started her own family.

The late Annie Moore

Annie died tragically under the wheels of a streetcar at the age of 46. Proud of Annie's legacy, her descendants took part in ceremonies at Ellis Island and in Ireland. But in 2006, it was discovered to be a case of mistaken identity: The "real" Annie Moore never strayed far from Ellis Island.

Genealogist Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (yes, that's her name) traced Annie's great-nephew, and learned that Annie lived and died on the Lower East Side. Her father, a longshoreman, housed the family in a tenement on Monroe Street (close to where the Manhattan Bridge soon rose).

Annie later married a bakery clerk, and had 11 children, only five of whom survived to adulthood. She died of heart failure in 1924 at 47 years old, and was buried with six of her children in an unmarked plot at Calvary Cemetery in Queens.

"She had the typical hardscrabble immigrant life," Smolenyak said. "She sacrificed herself for future generations." Annie's descendants, some of whom remained on the Lower East Side until recently, multiplied and many prospered.

Commemorating Annie Moore

On October 11, 2008, a ceremony in honor of Annie Moore was held at her grave site, during which a gravestone was placed, finally identifying Annie and her children. President Obama (himself partially of Irish descent) sent a message of remembrance.

Statues commemorating Annie now stand in Ellis Island and County Cork, Ireland. The Irish American Cultural Institute presents an annual Annie Moore Award "to an individual who has made significant contributions to the Irish and/or Irish American community and legacy."

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Want to discover more about New York's harbor where immigrants traveled through to enter the United States? Join our Fully Guided Statue of Liberty Tour with Ellis Island to get an in depth understanding of Ellis Island's history. Don't miss out, join us today!

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The Remarkable Tale of Annie Moore, The First Ellis Island Immigrant

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Many of us are familiar with Ellis Island's history, but do you know who the first immigrant to step foot on Ellis Island was? Annie Moore...

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Einstein's Early Life (1879-1904)

Born on March 14, 1879, in the southern German city of Ulm, Albert Einstein grew up in a middle-class Jewish family in Munich. As a child, Einstein became fascinated by music (he played the violin), mathematics and science. He dropped out of school in 1894 and moved to Switzerland, where he resumed his schooling and later gained admission to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich. In 1896, he renounced his German citizenship, and remained officially stateless before becoming a Swiss citizen in 1901.

Did you know? Almost immediately after Albert Einstein learned of the atomic bomb's use in Japan, he became an advocate for nuclear disarmament. He formed the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists and backed Manhattan Project scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer in his opposition to the hydrogen bomb.

While at Zurich Polytechnic, Einstein fell in love with his fellow student Mileva Maric, but his parents opposed the match and he lacked the money to marry. The couple had an illegitimate daughter, Lieserl, born in early 1902, of whom little is known. After finding a position as a clerk at the Swiss patent office in Bern, Einstein married Maric in 1903; they would have two more children, Hans Albert (born 1904) and Eduard (born 1910).

Einstein's Miracle Year (1905)

While working at the patent office, Einstein did some of the most creative work of his life, producing no fewer than four groundbreaking articles in 1905 alone. In the first paper, he applied the quantum theory (developed by German physicist Max Planck) to light in order to explain the phenomenon known as the photoelectric effect, by which a material will emit electrically charged particles when hit by light. The second article contained Einstein's experimental proof of the existence of atoms, which he got by analyzing the phenomenon of Brownian motion, in which tiny particles were suspended in water.

In the third and most famous article, titled "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies," Einstein confronted the apparent contradiction between two principal theories of physics: Isaac Newton's concepts of absolute space and time and James Clerk Maxwell's idea that the speed of light was a constant. To do this, Einstein introduced his special theory of relativity, which held that the laws of physics are the same even for objects moving in different inertial frames (i.e. at constant speeds relative to each other), and that the speed of light is a constant in all inertial frames. A fourth paper concerned the fundamental relationship between mass and energy, concepts viewed previously as completely separate. Einstein's famous equation E = mc2 (where "c" was the constant speed of light) expressed this relationship.

From Zurich to Berlin (1906-1932)

Einstein continued working at the patent office until 1909, when he finally found a full-time academic post at the University of Zurich. In 1913, he arrived at the University of Berlin, where he was made director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics. The move coincided with the beginning of Einstein's romantic relationship with a cousin of his, Elsa Lowenthal, whom he would eventually marry after divorcing Mileva. In 1915, Einstein published the general theory of relativity, which he considered his masterwork. This theory found that gravity, as well as motion, can affect time and space. According to Einstein's equivalence principle-which held that gravity's pull in one direction is equivalent to an acceleration of speed in the opposite direction-if light is bent by acceleration, it must also be bent by gravity. In 1919, two expeditions sent to perform experiments during a solar eclipse found that light rays from distant stars were deflected or bent by the gravity of the sun in just the way Einstein had predicted.

The general theory of relativity was the first major theory of gravity since Newton's, more than 250 years before, and the results made a tremendous splash worldwide, with the London Times proclaiming a "Revolution in Science" and a "New Theory of the Universe." Einstein began touring the world, speaking in front of crowds of thousands in the United States, Britain, France and Japan. In 1921, he won the Nobel Prize for his work on the photoelectric effect, as his work on relativity remained controversial at the time. Einstein soon began building on his theories to form a new science of cosmology, which held that the universe was dynamic instead of static, and was capable of expanding and contracting.

Einstein Moves to the United States (1933-39)

A longtime pacifist and a Jew, Einstein became the target of hostility in Weimar Germany, where many citizens were suffering plummeting economic fortunes in the aftermath of defeat in the Great War. In December 1932, a month before Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany, Einstein made the decision to emigrate to the United States, where he took a position at the newly founded Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He would never again enter the country of his birth.

By the time Einstein's wife Elsa died in 1936, he had been involved for more than a decade with his efforts to find a unified field theory, which would incorporate all the laws of the universe, and those of physics, into a single framework. In the process, Einstein became increasingly isolated from many of his colleagues, who were focused mainly on the quantum theory and its implications, rather than on relativity.

Einstein's Later Life (1939-1955)

In the late 1930s, Einstein's theories, including his equation E=mc2, helped form the basis of the development of the atomic bomb. In 1939, at the urging of the Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard, Einstein wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt advising him to approve funding for the development of uranium before Germany could gain the upper hand. Einstein, who became a U.S. citizen in 1940 but retained his Swiss citizenship, was never asked to participate in the resulting Manhattan Project, as the U.S. government suspected his socialist and pacifist views. In 1952, Einstein declined an offer extended by David Ben-Gurion, Israel's premier, to become president of Israel.

Throughout the last years of his life, Einstein continued his quest for a unified field theory. Though he published an article on the theory in Scientific American in 1950, it remained unfinished when he died, of an aortic aneurysm, five years later. In the decades following his death, Einstein's reputation and stature in the world of physics only grew, as physicists began to unravel the mystery of the so-called "strong force" (the missing piece of his unified field theory) and space satellites further verified the principles of his cosmology.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

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Born on March 14, 1879, in the southern German city of Ulm, Albert Einstein grew up in a middle-class Jewish family in Munich. As a child, Einstein became fascinated by music (he played the violin), mathematics and science.

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From the time of this nation's birth, immigrants have crossed over to America's shores in the pursuit of a new life built with hard work, determination, and ingenuity. Their immense contributions are part of the very fabric of this country. To highlight the incredible talent and diversity that immigrants have brought to our land over hundreds of years, MurthyDotCom will be periodically highlighting the life of a notable immigrant who has left a lasting mark on history. The first entry in our continuing An American Dream Fulfilled series is iconic magician Harry Houdini.

Born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary in 1874, the man who would become known to world as Harry Houdini immigrated to the United States with his parents and siblings when he was four years old. Immigration officials changed his first name to Ehrich and the entire family's last name to Weiss upon entering the country. The Weiss family settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Herman, the family patriarch, became the rabbi of a congregation. Though forced to begin working during his childhood to help support his struggling family, Ehrich still found time to begin performing in a neighborhood circus as a trapeze artist. He quickly discovered he had a talent for entertaining and learned a few simple magic tricks to impress his friends.

Ehrich moved to New York City with his father when he was thirteen and continued to hone his magic skills, eventually devising his famous stage name and pairing up with a friend to develop an act called "The Brothers Houdini." The two eventually took their act on the road, where Houdini met and married a young performer named Wilhelmina who became his onstage assistant. After several grueling years of relentless touring, all the while developing the intricate escape acts that would become his trademark, Houdini attracted the attention of a wealthy vaudeville tycoon who booked him in a series of high profile venues across America. He quickly gained a devoted following of fans who were entranced by his theatrical showmanship and increasingly daring performances, which nearly always involved him escaping from handcuffs.

After a five-year long tour of Europe that earned him worldwide fame, Houdini continued to perfect his act back in America. He developed several underwater escape tricks that are still renowned for their technical mastery, and became one of the world's first movie stars when he performed some of his most well-known escapes in a 1918 film serial.

Houdini also maintained his high profile by publically sparring with prominent figures within the emerging Spiritualist movement, whose members claimed to possess powers that allowed them to communicate with the spirit world. Houdini devoted himself to exposing Spiritualists as frauds who were nothing more than performers and charlatans. This eventually resulted in the end of his friendship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes and a firm believer in spiritualism. Sir Arthur actually became convinced that, not only was spiritualism real, but that Houdini was employing paranormal powers to perform many of his daring feats!

After beginning a run of sold out Broadway shows in 1926, Houdini felt he had reached a career peak. But the high point was short lived. Houdini died on October 31, 1926 from illnesses related to a ruptured appendix, which was likely brought on when he absorbed several blows to his belly from a fan during a show of strength. His demise was mourned worldwide and culminated in a large public funeral in New York City.

As one of the first worldwide superstars, Harry Houdini rose from humble beginnings as a rabbi's son struggling to make ends meet to earning the adoration of millions of fans entranced by his groundbreaking performances. Still regarded as a master illusionist nearly 100 years after his death, Houdini's name is synonymous with skill and showmanship of the highest order. His American dream was to delight people, young and old, with the wonder of magic - and that dream is still thriving today.

[See Houdini exhibit visits Jewish Museum Milwaukee by Sari Lesk, The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, 12.Sep.2019. Also see American Experience: Harry Houdini, PBS]

Copyright © 2019, MURTHY LAW FIRM. All Rights Reserved

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American Dream Fulfilled: Harry Houdini - Murthy Law Firm | U.S Immigration Law

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From the time of this nation's birth, immigrants have crossed over to America's shores in the pursuit of a new life built with hard work, determination, and ingenuity. Their immense contributions are part of the very fabric of this country. To highlight the incredible talent...

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Under the Microscope focuses on the medical theories and policies that impacted U.S. Pacific Coast immigration enforcement in the early 20th century. When contemplating past and present health regulations and protocols, underlying questions about responsibility, compassion, control, and safety arise. Under the Microscope is located in the hospital's historic medical suite. Below are several topics discussed in this exhibit.

On-board inspections, line inspections, and bacterial exams were used to assess the health of immigrants arriving on the Pacific Coast during the first part of the 20th century. These medical evaluations impacted whether or not immigrants were allowed to enter the country. Screening practices shifted as new research emerged and as policies and public opinion changed.

ON-BOARD INSPECTIONS
Initial inspections took place on board arriving ships to ensure immigrants were physically fit and legally admissible. First-class passengers, who were mostly white and wealthy, were given hasty exams in the privacy of their rooms-and were then allowed to land in the US.

LINE INSPECTIONS
Most second- and third-class passengers were taken to Angel Island for further inspection. These line inspections were conducted to detect excludable diseases and physical or mental "defects." Immigrants were instructed to line up beside one another and had little to no privacy.

BACTERIAL EXAMINATIONS
Doctors collected blood and stool samples from certain detained immigrants-mostly Asians. Such samples were examined under a microscope to detect parasitic diseases that were classified as "dangerously contagious."

from the archive * Medical Policy and Exclusion

Medical policy often reflected an evolving understanding of diseases as well as racist ideas about specific immigrant groups. Additionally, medical policy was used to justify certain immigrants' exclusion from the US. Over time, emerging medical research, community protests, and changes in public opinion led to new medical screening policies.

In the 1800s, deadly outbreaks of cholera, smallpox, and bubonic plague sparked widespread fear. Public health officials, scientists, and doctors began researching the causes of these epidemics. They developed ways to save lives and slow the spread of disease.

As the first federal immigration laws were established in the US, some policies were implemented under the guise of protecting the health of Americans. These policies were often used to discriminate against certain nationalities and classes of people-and sickness was seen as an avoidable flaw.

At the Angel Island immigration station, scientists and administrators dubbed germs "the most democratic creatures in the world." They believed they could use science as a tool to screen immigrants objectively, regardless of skin color or social status. However, not all immigrants underwent the same types of exams, and certain groups were subject to additional scrutiny.

Immigrants were also evaluated based on their perceived fitness and wealth. They were excluded from the US if they were labeled a "likely public charge" (LPC), which meant they were considered to be a current or future economic burden to the country.

Some immigrants were ruled LPCs because of "physical defects." Single women were often seen as "moral risks" and then deemed LPCs as a result. In many cases, LPCs were admitted into the US if they could post a $500 public charge bond. Those who could not afford to pay faced deportation.

Letters from the doctor

AIISF's Angel Island Immigration Museum Virtual Exhibition, curated by Russell Nauman, Operations Manager and Edward Tepporn, Executive Director, 2022.

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AIIM Under the Microscope | Angel Island Immigration Station - San Francisco

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Under the Microscope focuses on the medical theories and policies that impacted U.S. Pacific Coast immigration enforcement in the early 20th century. When contemplating past and present health regulations and protocols, underlying questions about responsibility, compassion, control, and safety arise. Under the Microscope is located in the hospital's historic medical suite.

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America has long been known as the land of opportunity. The country welcomed people looking for jobs, religious freedom, and a better future. But while most immigrants in New York City entered the traditional workforce, some paved their own, more unique paths to the American Dream.

One such individual was Erich Weisz. We've all heard of him... Born on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary. He was one of seven children born to Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weisz and his wife Cecilia. In search of work, the family settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. They continued to struggle, and Erich and his father eventually moved to New York City in 1887. While working in a necktie factory, Erich partnered with a friend, Jacob Hyman, to create a magic act, and soon after they hit the road. A fan of the ground-breaking French magician Jean Eugene Robert Houdin, Erich took on a professional name that both played upon his nickname Ehrie, and paid tribute to his idol. Before long, Erich Weisz was being welcomed to the stage as Harry Houdini.

Dubbed "The Brothers Houdini," Harry and Jacob performed in dime museums and small theaters in New York and throughout the Midwest, making a stop at the 1893 World's Columbia Exposition in Chicago. In the summer of 1894, while Harry and his younger brother (who eventually replaced Jacob at his side) were performing in Coney Island, Harry met 18-year-old Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner - or"Bess". Three weeks later, they married, and Bess joined the act.

Harry and Bess caught their first big break in 1899, when they met Martin Beck, who incorporated Harry's handcuff escapes in vaudeville shows around the country. Harry, not only a master performer but also a skillful promoter, would perform escapes for free in public spaces in order to sell tickets to his shows. The public spectacles would draw tens of thousands of people, and Harry would make sure to add dramatic flair. Audiences were amazed, and as vaudeville gained in popularity, Harry Houdini became a star.

After building his reputation in America, Harry spent five years touring Europe before returning to the States where he continued to reinvent himself. He performed more challenging escapes, including his signature Milk Can escape and Chinese Water Torture trick. His tricks became more dangerous - mid-air suspensions and underwater escapes - relying more on his physical strength and technical abilities.

The early 20 th century brought on new challenges for Harry, who began starring in films. In his first film, The Master Mystery, which came out in 1918, Harry brought his magic to the big screen. He founded two film companies - which never gained success - and in 1923 took over as president of Martinka & Co., America's oldest magic company. Throughout the 1920s, Harry also became a leading critic of spiritualists and psychic mediums; he did not believe their claims of being connected with the spiritual world, but viewed them as skilled performers much like himself.

Harry continued to perform until 1926, when he took his successful Broadway show on the road. While backstage at a stop at McGill University in Montreal, a student challenged Harry's claim that he was strong enough to handle any blow, and punched him three times in the abdomen. Harry continued with two more days of shows, but died a few days later in Detroit of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix. He was 52.

As Harry Houdini's birthday approaches this Thursday, let's remember him not only for his physical strength and masterful sleight of hand, but also as an immigrant. In many ways Houdini's is just another immigrant success story. With hunger for acceptance and financial stability he worked hard to find a niche in his new home. Unlike some, Houdini 's niche turned out to be escaping from a straitjacket while hanging from his feet four stories above the ground. On March 24 th remember to pay tribute to immigrants who thought outside the box!

-Posted by Tricia Kang, Tenement Staffer

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The Great Escapist: A Story of an Immigrant and a Showman - Tenement Museum

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America has long been known as the land of opportunity. The country welcomed people looking for jobs, religious freedom, and a better future. But while

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1. United States

2. New York

3. New York

4. Daily News

5. 1921

6. Nov

7. 13

8. Page 9

9. Immigrants give firsthand accounts of their experiences at Ellis Island

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Immigrants give firsthand accounts of their experiences at Ellis Island

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Clipping found in Daily News published in New York, New York on 11/13/1921. Immigrants give firsthand accounts of their experiences at Ellis Island

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Introduction

The transition from transatlantic crossing by sailing ship to steamship in the mid-1800s made the voyage faster and less dangerous. At the same time, organising the voyage also became easier as ships began sailing on a regular schedule, and it became possible for immigrants already in America to purchase pre-paid tickets for their relatives or friends.

After the long and gruelling ocean voyage, most immigrants to the United States in the late 18th and early part of the 19th century made their way to rural areas to farm. Most immigrants in the mid-19th century remained in the ports where they had arrived except for those with the financial means for further travel. The American government had no arrangements in place for assisting immigrants acclimatise to their new country. The newcomers, after passing a medical examination and demonstrating their ability to support themselves, walked onto the docks where some were met by family or friends while others were left to fend for themselves.

Ports of Departure and Shipping Companies

Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Antwerp, Belgium; Hamburg, Germany; Goteborg, Sweden; Bremen, Germany; Naples, Italy, and Le Havre, France were important ports of departure as were Cork, Belfast, Liverpool, and other ports in Ireland, England, and Scotland. In the 1840s, steamships began transporting wealthy passengers while the poor immigrants still made the voyage to America by sailing vessel. In the 1860s and 1870s, the size of steamships increased, and companies transported poor families in steerage at a low cost. Transporting immigrants to America became a big business. The major European passenger companies had extensive networks of ticket agencies, and worked diligently to attract business. They published literature describing the merits of America, and did nothing to dispel the notion that American streets were paved with gold. Steamship companies had to be selective, however, in whom they accepted as passengers because the companies had to pay the return passage of any immigrant who was turned away from America. To this end, they examined prospective passengers to make sure they met the health and financial requirements for acceptance into America.

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Copy of Ellis Island Lesson @lovelearningtpt

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In the 19th century, more and more people began crowding into America's cities, including thousands of newly arrived immigrants seeking a better life than the one they had left behind. In New York City-where the population doubled every decade from 1800 to 1880-buildings that had once been single-family dwellings were increasingly divided into multiple living spaces to accommodate this growing population.

Known as tenements, these narrow, low-rise apartment buildings-many of them concentrated in the city's Lower East Side neighborhood-were all too often cramped, poorly lit and lacked indoor plumbing and proper ventilation. By 1900, some 2.3 million people (a full two-thirds of New York City's population) were living in tenement housing.

The Rise of Tenement Housing

In the first half of the 19th century, many of the more affluent residents of New York's Lower East Side neighborhood began to move further north, leaving their low-rise masonry row houses behind. At the same time, more and more immigrants began to flow into the city, many of them fleeing the Irish Potato Famine, or Great Hunger, in Ireland or revolution in Germany. Both of these groups of new arrivals concentrated themselves on the Lower East Side, moving into row houses that had been converted from single-family dwellings into multiple-apartment tenements, or into new tenement housing built specifically for that purpose.

Did you know? By 1900, more than 80,000 tenements had been built in New York City. They housed a population of 2.3 million people, a full two-thirds of the city's total population of around 3.4 million.

A typical tenement building had five to seven stories and occupied nearly all of the lot upon which it was built (usually 25 feet wide and 100 feet long, according to existing city regulations). Many tenements began as single-family dwellings, and many older structures were converted into tenements by adding floors on top or by building more space in rear-yard areas. With less than a foot of space between buildings, little air and light could get in.

In many tenements, only the rooms on the street got any light, and the interior rooms had no ventilation (unless air shafts were built directly into the room). Later, speculators began building new tenements, often using cheap materials and construction shortcuts. Even new, this kind of housing was at best uncomfortable and at worst highly unsafe.

Calls for Reform

New York was not the only city in America where tenement housing emerged as a way to accommodate a growing population during the 1900s. In Chicago, for example, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 led to restrictions on building wood-frame structures in the center of the city and encouraged the construction of lower-income dwellings on the city's outskirts.

Unlike in New York, where tenements were highly concentrated in the poorest neighborhoods of the city, in Chicago they tended to cluster around centers of employment, such as stockyards and slaughterhouses. Nowhere, however, did the tenement situation become as dire as it was in New York, particularly on the Lower East Side. A cholera epidemic in 1849 took some 5,000 lives, many of them poor people living in overcrowded housing.

During the infamous New York draft riots that tore apart the city in 1863, rioters were not only protesting against the new military conscription policy; they were also reacting to the intolerable conditions in which many of them were living. The Tenement House Act of 1867 legally defined a tenement for the first time and set construction regulations; among these were the requirement of one toilet (or privy) per 20 people.

"How the Other Half Lives"

The existence of tenement legislation did not guarantee its enforcement, however, and conditions were little improved by 1889, when the Danish-born author and photographer Jacob Riis was researching the series of newspaper articles that would become his seminal book "How the Other Half Lives."

Riis had experienced firsthand the hardship of immigrant life in New York City, and as a police reporter for newspapers, including The Evening Sun, he had gotten a unique view into the grimy, crime-infested world of the Lower East Side. Seeking to draw attention to the horrible conditions in which many urban Americans were living, Riis photographed what he saw in the tenements and used these vivid photos to accompany the text of "How the Other Half Lives," published in 1890.

The hard facts included in Riis' book-such as the fact that 12 adults slept in a room some 13 feet across, and that the infant death rate in the tenements was as high as 1 in 10-stunned many in America and around the world and led to a renewed call for reform.

Two major studies of tenements were completed in the 1890s, and in 1901 city officials passed the Tenement House Law, which effectively outlawed the construction of new tenements on 25-foot lots and mandated improved sanitary conditions, fire escapes and access to light. Under the new law-which in contrast to past legislation would actually be enforced-pre-existing tenement structures were updated, and more than 200,000 new apartments were built over the next 15 years, supervised by city authorities.

Life After the Tenements

By the late 1920s, many tenements in Chicago had been demolished and replaced with large, privately subsidized apartment projects. The next decade saw the implementation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, which would transform low-income housing in many American cities through programs including slum clearing and the building of public housing.

The first fully government-built public housing project opened in New York City in 1936. Called First Houses, it consisted of a number of rehabilitated pre-law tenements covering a partial block at Avenue A and East 3rd Street, an area that had been considered part of the Lower East Side.

Among the trendy restaurants, boutique hotels and bars that can be found in the neighborhood today, visitors can still get a glimpse into its past at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, located at 97 Orchard Street.

Built in 1863, the building is an example of an "old-law" tenement (as defined by the Tenement House Act of 1867) and was home over the years for some 7,000 working class immigrants. Though the basement and the first floor have been renovated, the rest of the building looks much the same as it did in the 19th century, and has been designated a National Historic Site.

Fact Check

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In the 19th century, more and more people began crowding into America's cities, including thousands of newly arrived immigrants seeking a better life than the one they had left behind. In New York City-where the population doubled every decade from 1800 to 1880-buildings that had once been single-family dwellings were increasingly divided into multiple living spaces to accommodate this growing population.

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Urban life was often filled with hazards for the new immigrant, and housing could be one of the greatest dangers. At the turn of the century more than half the population of New York City, and most immigrants, lived in tenement houses, narrow, low-rise apartment buildings that were usually grossly overcrowded by their landlords. Cramped, poorly lit, under ventilated, and usually without indoor plumbing, the tenements were hotbeds of vermin and disease, and were frequently swept by cholera, typhus, and tuberculosis. The investigative journalist Jacob Riis, himself a Danish immigrant, launched a public campaign to expose and eradicate the exploitative housing new immigrants were forced to endure.

For additional information about the work of Jacob Riis see the online exhibition: Jacob Riis: Revealing "How the Other Half Lives".

For Italians, this way of living came as an enormous shock. In Italy, many rural families had slept in small, cramped houses; however, they spent most of their waking hours out of the house, working, socializing, and taking their meals in the outdoors. In New York, they found themselves confined to a claustrophobic indoor existence, using the same small room for eating, sleeping, and even working. A substantial percentage of immigrant families worked at home performing piecework -that is, doing work that paid them by the piece, such as stitching together garments or hand-assembling machinery. In a situation like this, an immigrant woman or child might go days without seeing sunlight.

Immigrants' work places could be as unhealthy as their homes. A substantial number of southern Italian immigrants had only worked as farmers, and were thus qualified only for unskilled, and more dangerous, urban labor. Many Italians went to work on the growing city's municipal works projects, digging canals, laying paving and gas lines, building bridges, and tunneling out the New York subway system. In 1890, nearly 90 percent of the laborers in New York's Department of Public Works were Italian immigrants.

By no means was all Italian immigrants' work grim and hazardous. Italians found work throughout the city, in many of the improvised trades that have long been a haven for immigrants, such as shoemaking, masonry, bartending, and barbering. For a time, some observers felt that Italians operated every fruit-vendor's cart in the city. For many immigrants, though, and especially women and children, work could only be found in sweatshops, the dark, unsafe factories that sprang up around New York. When a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in 1911, killing 146 workers, nearly half of the victims were young Italian women.

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Tenements and Toil | Italian | Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress

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Urban life was often filled with hazards for the new immigrant, and housing could be one of the greatest dangers. At the turn of the century more than half the population of New York City, and most immigrants, lived in tenement houses, narrow, low-rise apartment buildings that were usually grossly overcrowded by their landlords.

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New Beginnings: Immigrant Women and The American Experience - Google Arts & Culture

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Women immigrants have played a dynamic role in transforming America socially, politically, and economically.

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A Child's Journey Through Ellis Island From Dream to Reality: 2nd Place - Cavan McIntyre-Brewer, Home Schooled

Fifteen year old Annie Moore must have been nervous, excited, and scared all at the same time. She was selected as the first person to step foot on Ellis Island in order to be processed as an immigrant so that she could finally be reunited with her parents after three long years. Getting through Ellis Island was long and stressful, but the promise of becoming an American was worth all of the anxiety. Annie's story is one of hundreds of thousands of children who came to America for a chance at a new life and as soon as I heard about it, I was hooked on learning about how kids experienced the journey to America.

Ellis Island opened its doors on New Year's Day in 1892. 445,987 immigrants passed through its gates in the first year and, of those, a large amount were children. (Faria 18) Some of the children came with their families, while others came alone meeting family members already living in the United States. When they landed, they were treated fairly on Ellis Island, receiving medical exams, proper meals, and were often spoken to by people who worked for the government in their own languages. Although this did not always happen, the majority of workers on Ellis Island tried to make things easier for kids. Still, for a child to come to another country, often not being able to speak the same language, this new place must have been terrifying.

Even before a child stepped on to Ellis Island, the journey to get there was frightening enough. Most traveled in steerage, the lowest paying class on a ship, packed together like cattle. Access to fresh water, food, and other necessities was very limited. Rats and other pests swarmed the passengers, often ruining what little they were able to bring with them. Seasickness was also very common and many people would try to go up to the decks for fresh air. If a child was lucky, passengers from second or first class might throw candy down to them. (Burgan 29) Even then, they spent most of their time tired, hungry, dirty, seasick, and missing home.

Once steamships reached the New York Harbor, first and second class passengers were asked screening questions and then allowed to go straight to New York City. The steerage class was required to stay on the boat, often for several days because there were so many immigrants trying to enter through Ellis Island, before they were put on a barge to be taken to the processing center. (Quiri 19) There they began the screening process to see if they could enter the United States. Considering most of the parents had no idea what was happening, children must have been even more stressed and terrified.

Once on Ellis Island, the men were separated from the women and children, leaving their luggage in the baggage area. Everyone was instructed to get into lines where they would be screened to see if they needed more testing. Most of the instructions were given to the parents, while children paid close attention to follow their direction. However, older children like Annie Moore and her two brothers had no parents to walk them through Ellis Island so they were on their own to go through the testing process.

The medical exams were some of the most frightening experiences for children passing through Ellis Island. Known as the 'Six Second Physical', examiners were specifically looking for diseases that could easily be spread. Some of these included tuberculosis, cholera, favus, and trachoma. They were also looking for physical or mental issues and if the doctor checking the immigrants saw something he believed was a health issue, he would mark a letter on the person with chalk in a specific area so the person could be examined further. Medical instruments were used to help with the exam, including metal eye probes that propped the eye open in order to see more clearly into the immigrants' eyes. (Bial 27-29) Even the bravest child must have dreaded these examinations.

Immigrants were then taken to see if they could pass a legal exam. They were asked if they had money for a train ticket, where they came from, and where they planned to go. Later, they were also asked if they could read and write. Once again, younger children were not expected to answer these questions, but older children had to prove that they would be good citizens and able to care for themselves. Unfortunately, out of every ten immigrants who attempted these tests, two failed and were sent back to their home country. (Faria 11) Sometimes, only part of the family passed the examinations and the other family members were forced to return to their native country. Right then and there, families had to decide if they would be split up or return home together. Some children were sent back without family.

If families passed all of the screenings, they were given landing cards so they could stay in the United States. Getting those cards must have been a proud and exciting moment for the entire family. Now they could really begin a new life in America. Children would have a chance to live where they could practice their own religion, escaping war and poverty, but it wasn't always easy for the families. Many times people who were already living in America did not want immigrants to come to their country and so these new people were treated poorly. Immigrants had to fight for good jobs, often living in tenement housing, and living hard lives.

For many children, it paid off. Arthur Murray, Walt Disney, and Bob Hope all started their American journeys at Ellis Island as children and later became famous millionaires. Lots of other people may not have become famous, but they still were able to live the American dream they imagined as they journeyed through Ellis Island as children. Knowing what children endured to be American was amazing and inspirational.
Bibliography

Bial, Raymond. Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Print.

Burgan, Michael. Ellis Island: An Interactive History Adventure. North Mankato: Capstone, 2014. Print. You Choose Books.

Ellis Island Immigration Museum: Face of America. Dir. Marc Doyle. PBS, 2012. DVD.

"Famous Ellis Island Immigrants." RSS. THA New Media LLC, 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. .

Faria, Joseph D. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Berkeley Heights: Enslow, 2005. Print. Virtual Field Trips.

Immigration to the U. S. Dir. Rhonda Fabian. Perf. Irene Bedard. Schlessinger Media, 2004. DVD.

Quiri, Patricia R. Ellis Island. New York: Grolier, 1998. Print. A True Book.

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A Child's Journey Through Ellis Island: From Dream to Reality | Visit The Hershey Story Museum

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A Child's Journey Through Ellis Island From Dream to Reality: 2nd Place - Cavan McIntyre-Brewer, Home Schooled Fifteen year old Annie Moore must have been nervous, excited, and scared all ... Continue reading A Child's Journey Through Ellis Island: From Dream to Reality →

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The Immigrants of Angel Island | The History You Didn't Learn | TIME

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Angel Island: America's Untold Immigration Story

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Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

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A Journey Through Angel Island (Animated Video)

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This 5-7 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question "How does the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station help us understand how borders are erected, enforced, and challenged?"

Global Migration & Immigration

Human & Civil Rights

Racism

Democracy & Civic Engagement

Using the strategies from Facing History is almost like an awakening.

- Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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Angel Island Immigration Station: Exploring Borders and Belonging in US History

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This 5-7 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question "How does the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station help us understand how borders are erected, enforced, and challenged?"

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Angel Island Immigration Station was an immigration station located in San Francisco Bay which operated from January 21, 1910 to November 5, 1940, where immigrants entering the United States were detained and interrogated. Angel Island is an island in San Francisco Bay. It is currently a State Park administered by California State Parks and a California Historical Landmark. The island was originally a fishing and hunting site for Coastal Miwok Indians, then it was a haven for Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala. Later, it was developed as a cattle ranch, then, starting with the Civil War, the island served as a U.S. Army post. During the island's Immigration Station period, the island held hundreds of thousands of immigrants, the majority from China, Japan, India, Mexico and the Philippines. The detention facility was considered ideal because of its isolated location, making it very easy to control immigrants, contain outbreaks of disease, and enforce the new immigration laws. The station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the title Angel Island, U.S. Immigration Station, and is a National Historic Landmark. The station is open to the public as a museum - "a place for reflection and discovery of our shared history as a nation of immigrants".

In 1850 President Fillmore declared Angel Island, the second largest island in San Francisco Bay, to be a military reserve. Indeed, during the Civil War, the island was fortified to defend San Francisco Bay from possible attack by Confederate forces. In the 19th century, new arrivals to the U.S. entering at the Port of San Francisco were housed and processed in quarters located at the Pacific Mail Steamship Company docks on the San Francisco waterfront. After the quarters at the docks proved inadequate and unsanitary, a study, authorized in 1904, recommended building a new immigration station on the isolated and nearby Angel Island. In 1905, the War Department transferred 20 acres of land on the north shore of the island, facing away from San Francisco, to the Department of Labor and Commerce as the site for the new immigration station. Architect Walter J. Mathews designed the station compound to include an enclosed detention center with an outdoor area and guard tower as well as an administration building, hospital, powerhouse and wharf, which was later known as China Cove.

Angel Island Immigration Station, sometimes known as "Ellis Island of the West," began construction in 1905 and opened January 21, 1910. The main difference between Ellis Island and Angel Island was that the majority of the immigrants that traveled through Angel Island were from Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and India. The facility was created to monitor the flow of Chinese immigrants entering the country after the implementation of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. The Act only allowed entrance to merchants, clergy, diplomats, teachers, and students, barring laborers. The Act did give the government an idea of how to begin to regulate immigration, and realize the potential effect of immigration on the economy.

At Ellis Island, only between one and three percent of all arriving immigrants were rejected; at Angel Island, the number was about 18%. The Chinese were targeted due to the large influx of immigrants that were arriving in the United States. Chinese immigrants were seen as a threat because they occupied low-wage jobs, and after the economic downturn during the 1870s, Americans experienced serious unemployment problems. This resulted in increased discrimination against the Chinese, who were labeled as unsuitable due to their appearance and social status. The detention center was opened in 1910, after a series of laws were enacted which significantly restricted Chinese immigration. Immigrants arrived from 84 different countries, with Chinese immigrants accounting for the largest ethnic group to enter San Francisco until 1915 when Japanese immigrants outnumbered the Chinese for the first time.

1910-1940: Process

The length of time immigrants spent detained varied depending on how long the interrogation process lasted. For some it was only a few days and for others it lasted for months, the longest recorded stay being 22 months. This was significantly different from Ellis Island which had more relaxed regulation, and allowed many immigrants to enter the United States on the day of their arrival. Interrogations were extended because of the racial discrimination against Asians that was prevalent at the time. Chinese immigrants, mostly males, claimed to be sons of Chinese individuals who were American citizens，as Chinese's response to Chinese Exclusion Act. Since children of citizens are also considered U.S. citizens, regardless of where they are born, it is illegal to deny them entry if they can prove their familial relationship. Immigrants falsely claiming familial ties became known as " paper sons" or "paper daughters". Some American citizens of Chinese descent participated in immigration fraud as purported parents in return for money, or to help other people of the same ethnicity.

As a result, an extensive and grueling interrogation process was made to weed out the people for making fraudulent claims. The applicant would then be called before a Board of Special Inquiry, composed of two immigrant inspectors, a stenographer, and, if needed, a translator. Over the course of a few hours or days, the individual would be grilled with specific questions that only the real applicants would know about, for instance, their family history, location of the village, their homes and so on. However, a way around these questions was preparing them months in advance with their sponsors and memorizing the answers. To ensure that the applicant was telling the truth, witnesses from the United States, who were often other family members, were called in to corroborate the applicants story. The "family members" sometimes lived across the country, which extended the process since their testimony had to be verified before proceeding. If there was any doubt that the applicant was lying then the questioning process was prolonged and if deviation was suspected from the testimony presented by the witnesses, then the applicant and the rest of the family would be in jeopardy of deportation.

Some applicants appealed the decision of the Board, resulting in a prolonged stay at the detention center because the appeal process was so long and tedious. Additionally, the length of stay varied depending on what country the individual was coming from. Japanese immigrants often held documentation from government officials that expedited the process of entering the country. This resulted in the majority of detainees being Chinese since they had no alternative but to endure the questioning. Since the goal of Angel Island was to deport as many Chinese immigrants as possible, the whole process was much more intrusive and demanding for the Chinese compared to other applicants.

The detention center was in operation for thirty years; however, there were many concerns about sanitation and for the safety of the immigrants at Angel Island. The safety concern was proved to be warranted, when, in 1940, fire destroyed the administration building and women's quarters. As a result, all the immigrants were relocated to a landlocked facility in San Francisco and the former Immigration Station was returned to the U.S. Army. During World War II it served as a prisoner of war processing center. In 1943, Congress repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act.

After the war, the Army decommissioned the military installations, reduced its presence on the island, and left the former Immigration Station to deteriorate. It wasn't until 1963 that the island, including the detention facility, was converted to a state park. The buildings were set for demolition, but were spared after, in 1970, Ranger Alexander Weiss discovered, partially obscured by layers of paint, Chinese poetry carved on the wooden walls of the men's barrack. "These poems carved into the walls remain as a memorial to all of those who passed through the island's harsh detention barracks on their journey to a new life in the U.S."

Today, more than 200 poems have been recovered and restored, and all but the detention centers are currently available to the public. Of the approximately one million immigrants who were processed at the Angel Island Immigration Station, roughly 175,000 were Chinese and 117,000 were Japanese. Between 75 and 82 percent entered America successfully.

Immigrant perspectives

The predominantly Chinese immigrants who were detained at Angel Island were not welcomed in the United States. As recounted by one detained in 1940: "When we arrived, they locked us up like criminals in compartments like the cages at the zoo." Held in these "cages" for weeks, often months, individuals were subjected to rounds of long and stressful interrogations to assess the legitimacy of their immigration applications. Immigrants were made to recall minute details of their lives. On occasion, translators may have not have spoken the particular dialect of the immigrant competently; most Chinese immigrants were from southern China at that time, many spoke Cantonese. It was difficult to pass the interrogations, and cases were appealed many times over before one could leave the island and enter the United States. Often, successful immigrants produced elaborate instruction manuals that coached fellow detainees in passing interrogations; if anyone was caught with these manuals, they would most likely be deported.

Many of the detainees turned to poetry as expression, spilling their emotions onto the very walls that contained them. Many of these poems were written in pencil and ink, or in brush, and then carved into the wooden walls or floors. Some of the poems are bitter and angry, placid and contemplative, or even hopeful.

America has power, but not justice.
In prison, we were victimized as if we were guilty.
Given no opportunity to explain, it was really brutal.
I bow my head in reflection but there is nothing I can do.

Another example:

I thoroughly hate the barbarians because they do not respect justice.
They continually promulgate harsh laws to show off their prowess.
They oppress the overseas Chinese and also violate treaties.
They examine for hookworms and practice hundreds of despotic acts.

A more hopeful example:

Twice I have passed through the blue ocean, experienced the wind and dust of journey.
Confinement in the wooden building has pained me doubly.
With a weak country, we must all join together in urgent effort.
It depends on all of us together to roll back the wild wave.

Images for kids

Angel Island Chinese Monument

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Angel Island Immigration Station Facts for Kids

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Learn Angel Island Immigration Station facts for kids

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I need your help finding a few items at the Angel Island Immigration Station. How many of these items can you find?

Did you know there used to be a hospital at the immigration station? After being abandoned for many years, it needed to be fixed. Can you help me put the hospital back together?

Keep your computer sound on. The pieces will click together when you find a match. Share your masterpiece when you're finished! HINT: Click the ghost in the lower corner if you need help.

You're doing great! It looks like you're really getting to know the immigration station. Take a break if you need one. I put some goodies at the bottom of the page for you once you're done.

- K.C.

Read the story of Tyrus Wong, then try to find the matching images!

"Gold Mountain - Tyrus Wong" is presented courtesy of Felicia Lowe and the California Museum, Sacramento.

Flip the cards to find the match. Try flipping two at a time. If they don't match, flip them back over and try again. No cheating!

Take a close look at the images. You'll find a familiar face in the crowd.

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AIIM Kids | Angel Island Immigration Station - San Francisco

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I need your help finding a few items at the Angel Island Immigration Station. How many of these items can you find? Did you know there used to be a hospital at the immigration station? After being abandoned for many years, it needed to be fixed.

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Angel Island is the largest natural island in California's San Francisco Bay. It occupies an area of about 1.2 square miles (3.1 square kilometers) and is about a mile (1.6...

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Ellis Island Interactive Tour With Facts, Pictures, Video | Scholastic.com

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Learn about immigration on Ellis Island in this interactive, virtual tour. Facts about immigration, pictures of Ellis Island, oral histories, and videos help explain the immigration process to kids.

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Kids learn about the immigration station Ellis Island near New York City including when it opened, how many people came through Ellis Island, passing inspections, and interesting facts. Educational article for students, schools, and teachers.

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Ellis Island was once the first place that many people saw when they moved to the United States from other countries. People who go to a new country to live are called immigrants. Throughout its history the United States has welcomed many immigrants. Many of them arrived by boat at Ellis Island. The island is located in the bay near New York City.

Before 1890 the states handled immigration. Then the U.S. government took over. It built the immigration center on Ellis Island at a time when many people wanted to live in the United States. More than 12 million people passed through the center from 1892 to 1924. The busiest year was 1907, when 1.25 million people passed through.

On Ellis Island, doctors and inspectors examined the immigrants. They checked for disease and wrote down information about each person. Then they decided who could stay in the United States. Most people passed the tests and went on to New York City after a few hours. Others failed their examinations. Some had serious diseases. Others were seen as troublemakers. These people waited on the island for a ship to take them back home.

In 1924 Congress passed a law that made it harder to immigrate to the United States. Those who did come passed through other places. Ellis Island mainly held people who were having immigration problems. In 1954 the center on Ellis Island closed. In 1976 the island became a tourist center, and in 1990 the immigration center reopened as a museum. Today many people visit Ellis Island on their way to the nearby island that has the Statue of Liberty.

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Ellis Island was once the first place that many people saw when they moved to the United States from other countries. People who go to a new country to live are called...

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U.S. Immigration Timeline: Definition & Reform - HISTORY

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A timeline of U.S. immigration shows how, from the 1600s to today, the United States became a nation of people from hundreds of cultures, languages and beliefs.

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How Ellis Island shepherded millions of immigrants into America

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Entrance through this New York immigration epicenter usually took only a few hours—no passports or visas required.