Ellis Island

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Ellis Island
Gateway to America
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Outline
-Location -Introduction -Purpose of the
Island -Life before Ellis Island -Experience on
Ellis Island -Life goes on life after Ellis
Island -Quick facts on Ellis Island -Ellis Island
Today and a Look Into the Future of Ellis Island.
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Location
Ellis Island is located in the New York harbor,
off the coast of New York City.
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Introduction
Ellis Island was opened on January 1, 1892 and
was used just short of one hundred years as a
gateway to America. Approximately 40 of today's
population is a result of some ancestral
immigration. People came from all over the world
to start a better life in The U.S. Nearly 70 of
all the immigrants came through the Ellis Island
port in New York. Many different people from many
different cultures of many different ethnicities
took the chance to start a better life. Ellis
either accepted the immigrants or deported them
back to their country of origin. The Island was
named after Samuel Ellis who owned the island
until the 1770s when the government bought it
from him. When immigration was at a peak the
Ellis Island station could process nearly 1
million people per year. According to John F.
Kennedy there were many reasons people wanted to
come to the U.S. The three main reasons according
to J.F.K. were Religious persecution, political
oppression, and economic hardship.
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Purpose of Ellis Island
The purpose of Ellis Island was fairly simple. It
was created as a gateway for immigrants to get
into the U.S. All first and second class
passengers were admitted on the ship. The third
and fourth class passengers went to Ellis Island
where they took medical tests, and underwent
legal questioning.
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Sub Topic One Life Before U.S. immigration
There are many different reasons why families
decided to leave their hometowns and come to the
United States. Most commonly one family member
would go to the U.S. and send prepaid tickets so
their family members can join them in their new
life. According to Genealogyweb between 1900 and
1910 approximately 95 of immigrants arriving in
the United States were joining friends or family
members. Most of the immigrants coming into
America left their previous home in search of a
better life. They all were in search of the Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Justice the U.S. had
to offer. According to former President John F.
Kennedy the three main reasons people left their
countries were Religious persecution, political
oppression, and economic hardship. On of the
hardest parts of the whole Journey is the boat
ride. The average boat took about 2000 immigrants
in one trip and the conditions were very foul and
unsanitary.
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A very powerful picture of immigrants arriving at
Ellis Island. The boat is packed with people.
The very symbol that represents our country - the
reason many people immigrated. A symbol of
Freedom!
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Sub Topic Two Experience on the Island
The Island was commonly known as The Island of
Tears by many immigrants because so many people
were deported because of medical problems. The
ship often carried up to 2000 immigrants per trip
and the conditions were bad so they people were
already drained when they got to the island. Next
comes the part that every immigrant feared and
worried about for weeks in advance, inspection
and interview. According to the Ellis Island
website when the immigrants arrived they all had
numbers pinned on them for identification. The
first person they would meet off of the ship was
an American interpreter. They then walked up the
stairs to go to the medical examination. A doctor
stood at the top of the stairs to look for health
problems such as heavy breathing. Laziness, etc.
If the doctor thought they had a health risk he
would put a white mark on them and they would be
held for a more thorough inspection. Immigrants
then went through a medical exam by a doctor. If
they had no signs of illness or disease they
would be passed on to the final stage. If they
had health issues, they would be deported. The
final stage, the immigrants were asked a series
of questions and if the inspector thought they
would be able to work, they were admitted, and
handed a landing card.
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An eye exam was part of the medical inspection.
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As you can see from all of the pictures there
was never any breathing room on Ellis Island.
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Registration cards were necessary for the
admittance process.
Passports of Immigrants.
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Baggage inspection was part of the
admissions process.
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Sub Topic Three Life Goes On After Ellis Island
After the immigrants were admitted into the
United States, the first thing they did is
exchange foreign money along with gold and silver
for American Dollars. Some immigrants took the
ferry into New York City and stayed in the area.
Others hopped on a train and took off to anywhere
they wanted to start their new life. At first
many of the immigrants struggled, because they
had to start only with what they brought on the
boat and little money and no job. Some immigrants
however, came over with quite a bit of money, a
place to live and some even had jobs lined up
prior to their arrival. Some immigrants also
faced persecution and prejudice upon their
arrival to the United States. Eventually almost
all immigrants got set up and started over with
their daily life.
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It was a short boat ride from the island to New
York City, especially after the awful ride over
from Europe.
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Ellis Island Closes
On November 19, 1954, Ellis Island shut down as a
major port for U.S. bound immigrants. It shut
down because there weren't enough immigrants
coming through to devote an entire island to the
admittance process. It remained closed and
basically abandoned until September 10,1990 when
it was re-opened, but not for the same reason. A
156 million dollar restoration turned Ellis
Island into a tourist attraction.
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Interior before renovations.
A great photo of Ellis Island before restoration.
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Today and in the Future
Today Ellis Island is used only for tourism.
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Quiz

• When was Ellis Island Opened?
• What Was Ellis Island Used For?
• At its peak, how many immigrants did it process
  per year?
• What did almost every immigrant fear on the
  island?
• What was the number one reason people were
  deported?

Ellis Island was opened on January 1, 1892
It was used as a major port for U.S. immigration
At its peak Ellis Island processed more than 1
million per year
Medical examination
Medical reasons, illness.