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Welcome to Ellis Island
Immigration in the USA
Liberty Island
Ellis Island is in New York Harbor. From 1892 to 1954, 12 million immigrants arrived here for a new life in the USA.
Liberty Island
The journey to the USA from Europe took eight to 20 days by sea, if conditions were bad. When immigrants arrived in the USA, the first thing they saw was the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island.
Most passengers had all their possessions in a bundle.
Many immigrants came to the USA from Italy, Russia, Hungary, Austria, Germany and Ireland to look for a better future.
First and second class passengers disembarked in New York. For them, the USA was the land of opportunity. Third class passengers were taken by ferry to Ellis Island for inspections. They never forgot their experience on Ellis Island.
Doctors examined immigrants when they arrived. People with problems had longer medical examinations.
Inspectors asked immigrants questions about their age, destination and job. Then they decided if the immigrants could enter the USA. Some immigrants shortened their names or made them more American. Portnovsky became Porter, Schmidt became Smith, Golstein became Gold, etc.
Island of Tears
Ellis Island is called "the Island of Tears" because 2% of immigrants were not admitted to the USA. Family members were separated, and some had to return home.
The main building is now a museum. 100 million Americans can trace their family history to the immigrants who arrived here.
Five days was the maximum time that immigrants could stay on Ellis Island. But if people were ill or pregnant, they stayed in quarantine for many weeks in these buildings.
Immigration in numbers.
In 1907 more than one million immigrants arrived in the USA, it's a record! The most immigrants to arrive in one day is 11,747 on April 17, 1907. The Immigration Act of 1924 limited immigration numbers. After this, fewer immigrants arrived at Ellis Island.