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Ellis Island - History of Immigration to the United States | 1890-1920 | Award Winning Documentary

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Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today

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Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today

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This content resource is an interactive tour of Ellis Island. Students can explore different rooms in the main building at Ellis Island, and can view original photographs, listen to audio, or watch video.

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This collection of oral history excerpts is from the Ellis Island Oral History Collection, which includes approximately 2,000 full interviews. The following audio clips (with accompanying transcripts) have been specifically selected to be useful in your classroom, either as part of a lesson plan from this website or integrated into your curriculum. For your convenience, both the audio file and the transcript can be accessed online and also downloaded and saved for use later without needing to be connected to the internet.

Trying New Foods

Immigrant Expectations

Traveling to America
Experience at Ellis Island Holding onto Homeland Traditions Adjusting to Life in America
Looking for ideas on how to utilize these oral histories in your classroom?

The Library of Congress' Using Primary Sources page for teachers contains steps for using primary sources in the classroom, teacher's guides, analysis tools, and other helpful information for teachers.

The National Archives' Getting Started with Primary Sources in the Classroom page for teachers contains information and resources about using primary sources, resources for National History Day, and links to "Today's Document" and "DocsTeach" online resources.

If you have any suggestions for other Oral History topics you would like to see available on this page, please e-mail us.

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Oral Histories for Your Classroom - Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

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Select Oral Histories edited to short clips for use in the classroom.

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Pro Immigration

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The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus | Poetry Foundation

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Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

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Con Immigration

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Wide open and unguarded stand our gates, Named of the four winds, North, South, East and West; Portals that lead to an enchanted land Of cities, forests, fields of living gold, Vast prairies, lordly summits touched with snow, Majestic rivers sweeping proudly past The Arab's date-palm and the Norseman's pine-- A realm wherein are fruits of every zone, Airs of all climes, for lo!

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An article posted in the Emporia Gazette newspaper on July 18, 1896. Click below and it will show up.

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An article posted in the Emporia Gazette newspaper on July 18, 1896. Click below and it will show up.

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 An advertisement to settle in Nicodemus, KS.

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 An advertisement to settle in Nicodemus, KS.

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Advertisement to move to Coffeyville hoping to lure potential settlers west. This advertisement was published on April 21, 1879.

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Advertisement to move to Coffeyville hoping to lure potential settlers west. This advertisement was published on April 21, 1879.

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a film by PBS.

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Between 1880 and 1920, an estimated 4 million Italian immigrants entered the United States. 

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Between 1880 and 1920, an estimated 4 million Italian immigrants entered the United States. 

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http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97501095/

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(search your family name)

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New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924 - FamilySearch.org

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Name index to lists of 25 million people (not just immigrants) who arrived at Ellis Island, Port of New York, 1892-1924. In addition, includes a link to images of arrival lists at the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Web site.

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The doctors of Ellis Island developed a code of chalk marks to identify immigrants for medical needs. The most dreaded mark was an X for suspected mental defect.

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The doctors of Ellis Island developed a code of chalk marks to identify immigrants for medical needs. The most dreaded mark was an X for suspected mental defect.

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http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/stop6.htm

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After her clothes were fumigated, a newly arrived immigrant at Ellis Island has her hair examined for lice by a public health nurse. 

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After her clothes were fumigated, a newly arrived immigrant at Ellis Island has her hair examined for lice by a public health nurse. 

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http://niemanreports.org/articles/whats-old-is-new-again/

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Eye examinations of immigrant's at Ellis Island would involve using a tool commonly used to loop buttons onto shoes to flip up the eyelid to check for diseases.

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Eye examinations of immigrant's at Ellis Island would involve using a tool commonly used to loop buttons onto shoes to flip up the eyelid to check for diseases.

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http://www.swissinfo.ch/blob/154446/8ffd68b63284fde5cce7696cff265515/sriimg20090507-10668964-0-data.jpg

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If suspected of coming down with an illness or being sick and contagious, the immigrant was sent to stay at one of three different quarantine hospitals built nearby. 

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If suspected of coming down with an illness or being sick and contagious, the immigrant was sent to stay at one of three different quarantine hospitals built nearby. 

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https://www.loc.gov/item/96506912/

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Map of foreign settlements in Kansas - Kansas Memory

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Map of foreign settlements in Kansas - Kansas Memory

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One of the test given to immigrants before entry into America was a literacy test. 

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One of the test given to immigrants before entry into America was a literacy test. 

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http://www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/history-of-ellis-island-from-1892-to-1954.htm

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This is an inspection card. Immigrants wore large identification tags pinned to their clothing stating their ultimate destination in America.

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This is an inspection card. Immigrants wore large identification tags pinned to their clothing stating their ultimate destination in America.

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http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/

tour/stop3.htm

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Newspaper image from New York Evening World, May 20, 1922.

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Newspaper image from New York Evening World, May 20, 1922.

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Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1924 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more

Image provided by: The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation

Newspaper Page Text

THE E V 33 JN i N CI WORLD, HoUDAX, hi A Y 20, 1022.
NcwYorkAlienCfcaring House of the U &
Of 805,228 Who Entered This Country
Last Year, 560,971 Landed at This
Port-Of 247,718 Who Departed
203,041 Left via New1 York.
By Major Joseph Caccavajo
! thnttHting Engineer and Expert on Population and EtatUtict of (Tut
Citv of Veto yorfc.
Oese-rlght, ItM, 'Hew York Xvtolnc Torl4) by Press rubtUhln Oo.
D
AT attar daj; account appear
. .. ...
la th. .p.P.r. about the
vat number ot Immigrants
who arrive In this country
from Europe or other sections of the
earth. It ts generally believed that
they are at one poured Into our great
BMltraar pot, there to remain, become
mors or less Amertoanlzed. and msjte
Jot thamaelv a permanent home
bera.
Because little of asythtes is mea
fclo&ed about the httjre number who
tor America to return to their
home In other lands few reallze that
out of every ten who oome to these
(more only seven remain.
To those who enter, the Btatue of
tVtbarty no dotfbt Is a symbol of all it
fas supposed to hare been erected to
represent That many ot the newly
arrived, alien dream that Miss Lib
erty la carrying a bug ot cold as well
as special privileges la "probably not
far from the fact, because most of
them come here to get something; they
could not get where they oome from.
But what about those who are going
back to the land of their birth after
having acquired In most cases suf
ficient money to meet their individual
requirements? They came here seek
ing liberty and gold. Having acquired
the cola, are they going back to pur
chase the liberty which they could
act sit or eonalder they could not get o-cal!ed 3 per cent, restriction of for
hre ia this country? tign ,ramsratlon for another two
years. In this connection figures
which have Just been made publlo in
1 Oi total of 805,338 immigrant the 1921 annual report of the Com
allens admitted duTlng the fiscal year mlssloner General of Immigration,
1MI, the records ehow that S50.D71 h"rl'5fr the occupaUons of resident
aliens who departed from New TVirv
were admitted through the port of . ... v lcu lrom fsew ork
to take up their -permanent residence
Kew Tork. and of 247.718 emigrant m otner ,and3 ud lncomlnp aUena
aliens leaving the United States, 303,- from out Bide of the United Stated
41 departed from this port. wh on entering declared their in-
Th importance of the question of 1ntIon f Ne York their
place of abode In th- ...
"1u
IClty and State of New Tork may be
realised by the knowledge that 363.641 In the compilation of these figures
Immigrants declared their Intention non-n"nlgranta and non-emigrants
ct making New Tork thelrpennanent ZlT'f Th6 UnUed
, . sutes authorities have ruled Immi
nence, the second largest num- grant alien, are arriving alien, whose
fear otng to Pennsylvania, which got permanent domicile has been outside
SMsX Uassachusetts rot 64,053, United States and who Intend
Illinois 41.351. Ohio 43,3-S, New Jer- to reaMo Permanently In this country.
y 4I.ITT. and California 4M?. .""en' wh" manent
residence has been. In the United
Of those who departed TI.M6 were SUtes and who Intend to reside per-
resldents of New Tork, 84.171 from raanently abroad are classified as eml-
Pennsrlvanla, 30,007 from Ohio, 17.85J srant aliens. Those making tempo-
from Illinois. 15.788 from Msaaachu- v,B,ta lo cil direction, as al-
Bttts, ll.STS from California and
Vt.iSt fljcn New Jersey.
Allen emigrants, equal in number to
the entire population of the City of
Troy, or over half as many as the
total population ot Bridgeport, left
New Tork last year to take up their
permanent residence outside of tho
United States. uur h the declaration that
Only two dtles In the State of New hey ,nt"d to Permanent resl-
dents of this country.
Tork Buffalo and Rochester have a wuh ...
Wlln ni In mind, it would seem
rreater number of residents than the that actual figures and facts as to tho
number who emigrated from thts occupations and previous means of ob.
country last year. talnlng a livelihood of our alien imml-
True, it may be. that for every one pranUl shouW be of "Pedal Interest.
e8PecialIy this time when everv
who left the country, thiee or four " " ery
atncy at our command Is striving to
came In with every intention of re- obtain employment for those who are
malnlng here as permanent residents, already here and when the problems
but nevertheless we must agree that growing out of the Immigration re.
the loss of thousands snd thousands trictlon are becoming more serl-
. . ou ovcry time a ship arrives from
of revenue producing men and women Europfl prMpecUv,
is worthy of considerable attention for American citizenship.
from every one In the city Interested Comparison of immigration and eml-
ln Its future growth and prosperity, rratlon statistics show that In the
professional classifications. Including
actors, architects, clergy, editors, elec
Th men and women who went triclans. engineers (professional), Uw.
.way last year wre of no particular yers, literary and scientific persons,
Tc or creed. Every nationality, musicians, physicians, sculptors ami
creed and color shown on th. list of teacher, and other profession-
Iten Immigrants was Included In the
list of alien .emigrants. Did the pared to 1,551 departing former resl
present or former occupation of the dents. Of these. 387 actors came In
aliens, who cam In or went out, have and 139 wsnt out; 306 clergy entered,
anything to do with their owning or
goingr seemingly not.
y ,g u the nat,onal, of ,sv.n
... ,,,.. ... ,
much greater number than allena
from these same countries are arrtv-
lng here? Why are we now getting
larger numbers from some countries
thad we admitted In the years of
greatest Inward flow before the World
War? How are we to And employ
ment for a quarter of a minion new
residents In lines of work which their
previous training makes them best
fitted to do? These and hundred
of other questions which are obvi
ously connected with tfie whole prob
lem cannot be disregarded because
after all Is s&td and done, adding sev
eral hundred thousand people to the
population of even tho biggest cltj;
In the world. Is bound to have consid
erable Influence upon the lives of
every man, woman and child In the
city.
President Hardlntr has approved
the action of Congress continuing the
be of considerable
Interest at this
time.
jooay ataiea. are not lneliM l .v.
- viio
rrthis article. 'WCU UWm Uie1
Much has been written and said
about the number and various nation
alities of immigrants, but there has
been llttlo inf..u
- '"""iinuon puDusned cov
ering the former training and occupa-
tlons of the people who are entering
am, o.ivu wcro aammea declaring In-
tended residence in New York as com-
r
135 left: professional engineers, 88S in
and 114 out; musicians, 420 In and 10D
out; teachers, 1,132 came here to live
and 184 quit us for permanent resi
dence In foreign lands.
In the skilled occupations those clas
sifications with over one thousand
coming to New York as permanent
residents show: Bakers, 1,182; barbers
and hairdressers, 1,675; carpenters and
joiners, 8,2(4; clerks and accountants,
6,838; dressmakers, 4,386; mariners,
3,364:
hit !
masons, 2,034; seamstresses,
shoemakers, 8,943; tailors,
- ' .... .-, .....v, iura.
5.797. No single classification with
the exception of clerks and acunt-
ants, which had 1,132. exceeded 600
amons those who left New York, tho
carpenter, with 483 and tailor with
4?7 being second and third in the list
of departing emigrants. The total lm-
migrants In skilled class waa 60,103,
and New York emigrants was 6,663.
In the miscellaneous classifications
27,620 New York laborers departed and
49,123 laborers came In: 35,237 serv-
ants came in and 2,566 left. The next
largest number was 7,578 farm labor-
ers admitted, to 227 of this classlftca-
tlon departing. Farmerc showed 4,693
sdmltted, to 1,793 going away.
The total in the miscellaneous claa-
slflcatlona was 113,883 Immigrant to
46,799 emigrants. Those having no
occupatlon, Including women and
children, numbered 97,225 arrivals to
11,624 departing, with a grand toUJ
it
of 3(3,640 persons Who came from
foreign lands to live in New York.
compared to 72,626 of our residents
---,'- u n i4,ota u L our ico.ucmo
wh left, with the declared Intention
f returning no more, Indicating a net
increase In population dun to excess'
f Immigration over emigration of
191.014.
There oan be no doubt that the chief
consideration which Influenced our
National Government to restrict lm-
migration la tha claim made by the
exponent of restrictive legislation
that th chief danger entailed by un-
restricted Immigration lies, not so
much In th social and racial evils
whloh are so oftn and vehemently
enlarged upon by many speakers and
writers, but to the Industrial fields
where the continuous arrival of large
numbers of unskilled laborers ss well
as thousands of workmen In many
lines of trade, who come fiom roun-
tries where living cond'ljns aic su
much inferior to what they arc here.
not only lowers the average rats
SXmv A1! li
Wfl8res but tends to lower the stand-
apd ot 'lvlnff among wage earners gen-
emJ1''
U la 1ulte universally conceded
tnat approximately 80 per cent of the
aliens who come here remain as real-
denta of on8 of 1119 flv horoughs of
the Clty of Naw York- Wlth this as
a basis It ts fair to estimate that con-
slderably over 210,000 Immigrant
aliens Became resmenia oi mo city
last year. Deducting for those who It would seem that having admitted
emigrated on the same basis would these people to share these thing.
Indicate a clear gain of nearly 163,000 whloh we as Americans have boen
In population by reason of foreign privileged to enjoy, wo should flint
Immigration. help them to secure employment so
For awhile, at least after they ar- that along with instructions In True
rive In this cotintry, those who come Americanism they may become self
hore from most foreign countries are respecting nnl nelf-supportlng cltl
Inclined to seek their owr? kind, and zens of our city and State,
it Is for this reason that there aie A careful wtinU of tho former oc
localltlcs In tho civ when- Italian, ciipations "f tWu who conio here to
Itusslan, Yiddish, llung.irinii, Polish, lle, as ucll is thoso who lcae each
of Slovenian, Qreek, Armenian. Turkish,
Chinese, Ukrainian and other Ian-
' w...
guages arc even more common than
our own.
Many, (organizations have been
formed within the past few years,
especially since the wsr. seeking to
Americanize the newly arrived aliens
and to further the spread of a pro-
gramme which will spell ONE FLAO,
ONE COUNTRY and ONB LAN-
UTJAQE.
yiar with the declaration that they,
lUOTPinr It ll '
MiWmmmm:v Art
sl
nereafter take up their perma-
will uejcaiior innu n . . . .
nent resldcnce m BOme other country.
should bo helpful to those who -re so
enthusiaatlcally endeavoring to help
tne allen immigrants,
I ba aom8 tew months before
tha flgurM tor the full year under
operation 0( the 3 per cent, restriction
legisifttlon are available, and there Is
evarv TMBOa to believe that there will
be some startling changes In the
make-up of the peoples who enter, so
far as occupations are concerned.
New York City, more than any place
else In the country, has to meet such
changes as occur both In Immigration
and emigration, and the Influence
upon our hollaing and general eco
nomic conditions presents one of the
most serious problems of tho many
with which this city Is confronted
eveiy day in the ypnr. practically all
of which require Immediate unil In-
telllgent solution.
.. W I., ft., i
LAB Q R ERo;a(
--JC - l.fcA, r. -s v w-
IMMIGRATION AND"
EMIGRATION
To and From New York
In 1921.
Immigrant all&nt ieclarino -;'l
tentlon of remaining In New York j
emigrant aliens Having (048,
permanent residence in New Tork: ,
CAME IN. WENT OUT.
4,780... Afrlosn (bl.ok) ... 400
3,165 Armenian 163'
Bohemian and Moravian
363 (Czooh 127
Bulgarian, Serglan and
S32 Montenegrin 1,605
497 Chinese ........ 40.
i,609.Croatian and Slovenian 44t
821 ,.. Cuban
Dalmatian, Bosnian and
163.... Herzsgovinlan
, 007. .Dutch and Fl.ml.h..
103 East Indian .....
W9f
a
0,328 English 4,477
962 Finnish 815
4.354 French 1,859'
5,804 Carman 2.825:
9,811 Qreek 5,0ef
n rr I . I a
13,03 nourow ., oia
13,099 Irish 837,
82,440 Italian 18.611
431 Japanese 371
3 Korean 1i
I70 Lithuanian 6Se
2,065 Magyar 852
673 Mexican 818
2... Paclfio Islander ... 1'
7,163 Polish 11,80
1,387 Portuguese 38ll
1,854 Roumanian ..... 361
852 Russian 4,715
209.Ruthenlan (Russnlak, 89'
Scandinavian, (Nor
6,303.weglan, Dans, Swede). 2,571
4,149 8eoteh 571
5,482 Slovak 3,151;
12,804 Spanish 3,944.
1,678. ..Spanish American... W3
1,463 Syrian 230
144 Turkish 23
292 Welsh 84
West Indian (exoept
956 Cuba 408
612..,. Other Peoples .... fit.
263,640.. ...... ToUl ........ 72i;
V

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The evening world. (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, May 29, 1922, Wall Street Final Edition, Page 13, Image 13

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Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1924 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress.

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In the hospital, there were many different wards to keep the infection between immigrants from spreading. These children were kept in the infectious scalp ward.

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In the hospital, there were many different wards to keep the infection between immigrants from spreading. These children were kept in the infectious scalp ward.

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http://nieman.harvard.edu/news/2009/01/documentary-film-brings-the-lost-history-of-the-ellis-island-hospital-to-life/

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"This political cartoon appeared as the nation debated new restrictions on immigration. After 1917, immigrants entering the United States had to pass a literacy test. In the cartoon, the literacy test appears as an insurmountable barrier to a family of immigrants. Uncle Sam peers out over the barrier, a flag behind him ironically proclaiming "the land of the free."http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/immigration-and-migration/resources/immigration-cartoon-1916

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"This political cartoon appeared as the nation debated new restrictions on immigration. After 1917, immigrants entering the United States had to pass a literacy test. In the cartoon, the literacy test appears as an insurmountable barrier to a family of immigrants. Uncle Sam peers out over the barrier, a flag behind him ironically proclaiming "the land of the free."http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/immigration-and-migration/resources/immigration-cartoon-1916

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In 1849, some people organized into an anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant political group famously called the “Know-Nothings,” which derived its name from the secrecy of its members. Know-Nothings believed thatnative-born Americans were superior to the newly arrivedimmigrant groups on the basis that Irish and German immigrants tended to be poorer and Catholic.-http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661569/

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In 1849, some people organized into an anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant political group famously called the “Know-Nothings,” which derived its name from the secrecy of its members. Know-Nothings believed thatnative-born Americans were superior to the newly arrivedimmigrant groups on the basis that Irish and German immigrants tended to be poorer and Catholic.-http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661569/

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This political cartoon is titled "The Lure of the American Wages" and depicted the British trying to stop people from leaving for America where they were told there would be plenty of jobs and new freedoms.