Immigration

to the

United States

Ellis Island:

The Gateway to the U.S.

What might we learn about American history from

primary sources?

Determine what you see and what questions you might ask to get

the big picture

What do you see in this picture?

Where might these people be looking?

What are some new things you see in this picture?

Whatdoes thispicturerepresen

tin theHistoryofTheUnitedStates?

What can we learn from a motion picture of Ellis Island that is more than 100

years old?

The federal immigration station at Ellis Island opened on January 1, 1892 and was closed on November 12, 1954. In that time, more than 12 million immigrants were inspected there by the

US Bureau of Immigration.

Is it possible that your great-great-great grandfather or grandmother is in this picture?

1907 was the peak year for immigration at Ellis Island with

1,004,756 immigrants processed. The all-time daily high also

occurred that year on April 17 which saw a total of 11,747 immigrants arrive.

If a ship could carry 500 people, how many ships arrived at Ellis Island that day?

Some unskilled workers and immigrants were rejected outright because they were considered "likely to become a public charge." About 2% were denied admission to the U.S. and sent back to their countries of origin for reasons such as chronic contagious disease, criminal background, insanity, or because they were deemed to be

a drain on the American society.

One well-known employee of Ellis Island was Fiorello H. La Guardia. He served as interpreter at the

immigration station from 1907-1910.

What else is this man known for?

Some notable individuals who were processed at Ellis Island include:

Cary Grant - England

Rudolph Valentino - Italy

Bob Hope - England

Knute Rockne - Norway

Isaac Asimov - Russia

Were any of your relatives processed at Ellis Island?

http://www.ellisisland.org/

This website will allow you to search every individual record kept at Ellis Island for your

immigrant relatives – over 12 MILLION records!!

Sources:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island

http://www.knuterockne.com/photogallery1/photo2.htm

http://www.ellisisland.org/