is there a virtual tour of ellis island

INTRODUCING the Ellis Island Museum Reimagined Campaign! | CELEBRATE your family story – add a name to the WALL OF HONOR!

Be inspired

Experience the icon in person., ellis island, make the voyage, walk in the footsteps of history., help keep liberty alive..

• Search Passenger and Ship Records
• Views from Lady Liberty
• Let Us Start Your Search!
• Genealogy Tips
• Educational Resources
• Oral History Project
• Famous Names in the Ellis Island Database
• Ellis Island Museum Reimagined

Become a Member

• Make a Donation
• Wall of Honor
• Founders Registry
• Statue of Liberty Click for more info Overview + History Statue of Liberty Museum The Role of the Foundation The Future of Liberty
• Ellis Island Click for more info Overview + History National Museum of Immigration Family History Center American Immigrant Wall of Honor The Role of the Foundation The Future of Ellis
• Foundation Click for more info Mission + History News Leadership + Governance Awards Our Blog: The Torch Careers
• Visit Click for more info Visit
• Discover Click for more info Search Passenger and Ship Records Views from Lady Liberty Let Us Start Your Search! Genealogy Tips Educational Resources Oral History Project Famous Names in the Ellis Island Database
• Support Click for more info Ellis Island Museum Reimagined Become a Member Make a Donation Wall of Honor Founders Registry

Learn and Explore

We honor the immigrant experience and the pursuit of freedom through preservation efforts, educational initiatives, and community programs. As caretakers of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, we work to create bridges to history and to foster an appreciation for the rich tapestry of our national identity.

Our collections can connect you to Liberty and to the story of American immigration from anywhere in the world. We invite you to engage with our exhibitions and collections, and use our online resources to discover your roots and explore your heritage.

Festival of New York

The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation is a cornerstone partner of THIS IS NY , part of the Festival of New York, which launched in 2022. THIS IS NY is a collective of 200+ organizations across the five boroughs that celebrates NYC’s immigrant heritage and communities.

Festival activities take place Memorial Day through Labor Day. Stay tuned for 2024 program details!

American Tales

Passenger and ship search.

The passenger search is a piece of living history. Comprising nearly 65 million arrival records and ship manifests, this interactive database allows visitors to converse with America’s past, and travel with their ancestors to the shores of Ellis Island. Thought-provoking and humbling, the passenger search offers us an incredible lens through which we can understand the challenges and dreams of the American passage.

Through our “ Immigration Records Search ” service, the Foundation’s team of research experts will conduct the research for you.

Oral Histories

This collection of recorded interviews documents the stories of people whose lives were shaped by Ellis Island. Passengers, families, immigration officials, military personnel, detainees, and former island employees share their perspectives and relive the moments that formed our collective history. Educational, uplifting, harrowing, and inspiring, these precious cultural artifacts give meaning and texture to our collections.

Immigration Museum 30th Anniversary

On the heels of celebrating Lady Liberty’s restoration, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation turned its attention to Ellis Island for what would be the largest historic restoration in U.S. history. The museum focused on 1892 through 1954: The Ellis Years. To replicate what most travelers encountered upon arriving at Ellis Island, the team of experts leading the restoration and museum development replicated the building’s design from the 1918-1924 period – the peak years of Ellis immigration.

More to Explore

Fun & engaging tools.

Through its mission, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation is committed to fostering knowledge and interest in the history of these two great American monuments. While nothing can replace an in-person visit, SOLEIF’s library of remote learning experiences offers a taste.

Faces in the Crowd

The immigrants who came to America through Ellis Island made a profound impact on business, art, science, and culture. As did many celebrities of the day visiting from afar. Explore the stories of Ellis’ notable passengers and see how young dreamers went on to be counted among our most celebrated citizens.

Trace Your Story

Want to take a tour through your family history? Start the process of determining your heritage by playing detective at home. Our guides and references can put you on a voyage of discovery, and offer strategies and tips for tracing your family’s roots.

The Wall of Honor

Celebrate your family’s place in the immigration story by inscribing a name on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. A stunning installation, the Wall commemorates the journey of every traveler who followed a dream.

It celebrates who we are and where we came from, and represents a vast collection of experiences. A monument by and of the people, the Wall is open to the descendants of all American immigrants as well as contemporary arrivals. You can see it in person when you visit Ellis Island, or explore its panels on our website.

Bring History to Life

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INTRODUCING the Ellis Island Museum Reimagined Campaign! | CELEBRATE your family story – add a name to the WALL OF HONOR!

Be inspired

Experience the icon in person., ellis island, make the voyage, walk in the footsteps of history., help keep liberty alive..

• Search Passenger and Ship Records
• Views from Lady Liberty
• Let Us Start Your Search!
• Genealogy Tips

Educational Resources

• Oral History Project
• Famous Names in the Ellis Island Database
• Ellis Island Museum Reimagined
• Become a Member
• Make a Donation
• Wall of Honor
• Founders Registry
• Statue of Liberty Click for more info Overview + History Statue of Liberty Museum The Role of the Foundation The Future of Liberty
• Ellis Island Click for more info Overview + History National Museum of Immigration Family History Center American Immigrant Wall of Honor The Role of the Foundation The Future of Ellis
• Foundation Click for more info Mission + History News Leadership + Governance Awards Our Blog: The Torch Careers
• Visit Click for more info Visit
• Discover Click for more info Search Passenger and Ship Records Views from Lady Liberty Let Us Start Your Search! Genealogy Tips Educational Resources Oral History Project Famous Names in the Ellis Island Database
• Support Click for more info Ellis Island Museum Reimagined Become a Member Make a Donation Wall of Honor Founders Registry

Tools for learning more about the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Your Family Heritage

Tips, tutorials & recommendations.

Through its mission, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation is committed to fostering knowledge and interest in the history of these two great American monuments. While nothing can replace an in-person visit, SOLEIF’s library of remote learning experiences offers a taste. Among the resources you will find:

• Virtual experiences, including one that takes you inside the Statue of Liberty for an unprecedented look at her history, construction, and views of NY Harbor
• Tips for using the Passenger Search database to discover your family’s connection to Ellis Island
• Videos vignettes exploring the Ellis Island immigrant experience
• A Lady Liberty Art Project
• Links to recommended webinars, activities, crafts, and educational materials

An Ellis Island Expedition

Join five Park Rangers as they explore the history and significance of Ellis Island. This five-part video series, produced by our partners at the National Park Service, discusses the immigrant experience from the Transatlantic Journey to the Inspection Process to the start of life in America.

NYC Landmarks

It seems every New York City block was influenced by an immigrant, including many who arrived through Ellis Island. The American Family Immigration History Center database documents the arrival of these notable citizens. This Google Map pinpoints and provides background on locations that demonstrate the impact of these immigrants.

If you’re in the Big Apple, or are just curious, take a real or virtual stroll to see the influence of Ellis Island Immigrants on New York – and the entire country.

Genealogy Research Tips

For tips on searching the Foundation’s Passenger Records, download our Tips & Tricks Guide and find resources in our Genealogy Primer and from genealogist Megan Smolenyak.

For help jumpstarting your Genealogical Journey, become a VOYAGE Member and receive a “Dedicated Passenger Search” session to be teamed with one of our research experts!

STORIES FROM ELLIS

Understanding manifests: names crossed out.

Dispelling Myths: Names Not Changed at Ellis Island

What Happened When Immigrants were Detained at Ellis

What Happened When A Stowaway was Discovered

What Happened When A Baby was Born at Sea

What Happened When A Passenger Died at Sea

VIDEO TUTORIALS

How to search our database.

Research Tips & Tricks

Download Tip Sheet

VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES

Statue of liberty ar experience.

Discover the Statue of Liberty in a new and innovative way with this unique AR experience, available on iOS. A rich curation of stories and visual media walks you through more than 150 years of the Statue’s history — from her origins in France in 1865 to the opening of the Statue of Liberty Museum. Among the features: Torch Panorama, Making of Liberty, and Historical Timeline. The app also offers two immersive audio experiences.

Lady Liberty Virtual Tour

This first-of-its-kind interactive experience takes you on a virtual tour of Lady Liberty. “Climb” up her double helix stairway and examine the folds of the copper and armature bars that form the Statue’s shape. From the Crown, take in images of New York Harbor. Even access the arm and Torch, which have been closed to the public since 1916. The Museum tour features majestic images of the Inspiration Gallery and Liberty Vista.

Virtual Liberty Museum Visit

Step inside the Statue of Liberty Museum to explore the Inspiration Gallery, home to the Statue’s original torch, and Engagement Gallery where exhibits tell the story of Lady Liberty’s history. With this virtual experience you can make your way to the Liberty Vista for breathtaking views of New York Harbor and gaze upon the Statue from the Island’s pedestrian walkway.

Through the Golden Door

Our National Park Service partners collaborated with Scholastic to create a virtual field trip to Ellis Island. Spend time with Rangers from the National Park Service to learn about the history of Ellis Island and the immigrant experience at the nation’s first Federal Immigration Station.

Views From Lady Liberty

The Foundation, in collaboration with the National Park Service and EarthCam, offers four unique perspectives from the Statue of Liberty, along with a stunning shot of Liberty Island from the shores of Brooklyn. Interactive cameras feature views of New York Harbor, the New York City Skyline, historic Ellis Island, and the Statue itself.

The New Colossus

This reciting of The New Colossus features the voices of visitors to Liberty Island.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

-Emma Lazarus November 2, 1883

Stranger, I find myself lost. Let us watch this new age gather Overhead. Let’s see what rains onto unaccustomed skin. Once, we were pelt, fur, hide. Only the seasons mattered. Now, We shiver, crying out. Not from winter, but the fear in skin. I see the tall masts of history in horizon fog. They dip And rise. The tides they ride swell under human skin. Be my guest. Drink tea, taste fruit and bread. The meat rests, Cooling on the slab, but see how wine has flushed our skin? This land you’ve sought is peopled with enemies and kin. You’ll learn to read the whole long story written on skin. We passengers wait. Our restless waiting forms an island. One woman stands, sings. Her music enters through my skin. Stranger, you’re the words to a hymn I’ve only ever hummed. Come. Let’s erase the distance between skin and skin.

-Tracy K. Smith United States Poet Laureate, 2017-2019

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Virtual Backgrounds

Have some fun with your virtual meetings.

Since 1886, Lady Liberty has stood tall as a reminder of who we are as a nation and the ideals we embrace. Located just past the Statue,  Ellis Island welcomed millions of immigrants a nd offered the promise of a new  life and  opportunity.     

The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation invites you to transport yourself to Liberty and Ellis Islands. Travel to New York harbor and stand in Liberty’s glow with these virtual backgrounds!

Zoom, or the video platform of your choice, provides directions for saving an image and making the background visible on your computer.

Select images courtesy of EarthCam, Peter Lehrer, National Park Service

Webinars & Podcasts

Oral history how-tos.

Oral histories are a valuable tool for capturing and safeguarding your family’s story. This series of discussions with genealogy experts from around the world offers best practices for capturing Oral Histories. Episodes are available on the Foundation’s Stories From Ellis Island YouTube channel.

Conversations With...

Conversations With… Reflections on Lady Liberty  & The Immigrant Experience . Enjoy a discussion between Steve Briganti and Foundation board member Andrew Tisch, a business leader and philanthropist whose book Journeys: An American Story features 72 essays celebrating the vastness and variety of immigration tales in America.

The Learning Zone

Teachers, parents, or anyone curious to learn more about these two great American monuments will find ample resources among the National Park Service’s curriculum materials.

Use Math skills to measure How Big is the Statue of Liberty? ARTifact! incorporates Language Arts and Social Studies. Tap your inner scientist with  Preserving a Symbol to learn why the Statue changed colors.

What will you and your kids learn today?

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Ellis Island

By: History.com Editors

Updated: February 13, 2023 | Original: October 27, 2009

Ellis Island is a historical site that opened in 1892 as an immigration station, a purpose it served for more than 60 years until it closed in 1954. Located at the mouth of Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, Ellis Island saw millions of newly arrived immigrants pass through its doors. In fact, it has been estimated that close to 40 percent of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors to Ellis Island.

U.S. Immigration History

When Ellis Island opened, a great change was taking place in U.S. immigration . Fewer arrivals were coming from northern and western Europe—Germany, Ireland, Britain and the Scandinavian countries—as more and more immigrants poured in from southern and eastern Europe.

Among this new generation were Jews escaping from political and economic oppression in czarist Russia and eastern Europe and Italians escaping poverty in their country. There were also Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, Serbs, Slovaks and Greeks, along with non-Europeans from Syria , Turkey and Armenia.

The reasons they left their homes in the Old World included war, drought, famine and religious persecution, and all had hopes for greater opportunity in the New World.

After an arduous sea voyage, immigrants arriving at Ellis Island were tagged with information from their ship’s registry; they then waited on long lines for medical and legal inspections to determine if they were fit for entry into the United States.

From 1900 to 1914—the peak years of Ellis Island’s operation—an average of 1,900 people passed through the immigration station every day. Most successfully passed through in a matter of hours, but others could be detained for days or weeks.

Many immigrants remained in New York , while others traveled by barge to railroad stations in Hoboken or Jersey City, New Jersey , on their way to destinations across the country.

Ellis Island Museum of Immigration

Passage of the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924, which limited the number and nationality of immigrants allowed into the United States, effectively ended the era of mass immigration into New York City . At this point, the smaller number of immigrants began to be processed on their arriving ships, with Ellis Island serving primarily as a temporary detainment center.

From 1925 to the closing of Ellis Island in 1954, only 2.3 million immigrants passed through the New York City port–which still represented more than half of all those entering the United States.

Ellis Island opened to the public in 1976. Today, visitors can tour the Ellis Island Museum of Immigration in the restored Main Arrivals Hall and trace their ancestors through millions of immigrant arrival records made available to the public in 2001.

In this way, Ellis Island remains a central destination for millions of Americans seeking a glimpse into the history of their country, and in many cases, into their own family’s story.

Ellis Island Timeline

1630-1770 Ellis Island is little more than a spit of sand in the Hudson River, located just south of Manhattan. The Native Americans of the Mohegan tribe who lived on the nearby shores call the island Kioshk, or Gull Island. In 1630, the Dutch acquired the island and gifted it to a certain Michael Paauw, who called it Oyster Island for the plentiful amounts of shellfish on its beaches.

During the 1760s, it is known as Gibbet Island, for its gibbet, or gallows tree, used to hang men convicted of piracy .

1775-1865 Around the time of the Revolutionary War , the New York merchant Samuel Ellis purchases the island, and builds a tavern on it that caters to local fishermen.

Ellis dies in 1794, and in 1808 New York State buys the island for $10,000. The U.S. War Department pays the state for the right to use Ellis Island to build military fortifications and store ammunition, beginning during the War of 1812 . Half a century later, Ellis Island is used as a munitions arsenal for the Union army during the Civil War .

Meanwhile, the first federal immigration law, the Naturalization Act , is passed in 1790; it allows all white males living in the U.S. for two years to become citizens. There is little regulation of immigration when the first great wave begins in 1814.

Nearly 5 million people will arrive from northern and western Europe over the next 45 years. Castle Garden, one of the first state-run immigration depots, opens at the Battery in lower Manhattan in 1855. The Potato Famine that strikes Ireland (1845-52) leads to the immigration of about 1 million Irish alone in the next decade.

Concurrently, large numbers of Germans flee political and economic unrest. Rapid settlement of the West begins with the passing of the Homestead Act in 1862. Attracted by the opportunity to own land, more Europeans begin to immigrate.

1865-1892 After the Civil War, Ellis Island stands vacant, until the government decides to replace the New York immigration station at Castle Garden, which closes in 1890. Control of immigration is turned over to the federal government, and $75,000 is appropriated for construction of the first federal immigration station on Ellis Island.

Artesian wells are dug and the island’s size is doubled to over six acres, with landfill created from incoming ships’ ballast and the excavation of New York City subway tunnels.

Beginning in 1875, the United States forbids prostitutes and criminals from entering the country. The Chinese Exclusion Act is passed in 1882. Also restricted are “lunatics” and “idiots.”

1892 The first Ellis Island Immigration Station officially opens on January 1, 1892, as three large ships wait to land. Seven hundred immigrants passed through Ellis Island that day, and nearly 450,000 followed over the course of that first year.

Over the next five decades, more than 12 million people will pass through the island on their way into the United States.

1893-1902 On June 15, 1897, with 200 immigrants on the island, a fire breaks out in one of the towers in the main building and the roof collapses. Though no one is killed, all Ellis Island records dating back to 1840 and the Castle Garden era are destroyed. The immigration station is relocated to the barge office in Manhattan’s Battery Park.

The new fireproof facility is officially opened in December 1900, and 2,251 people pass through on opening day. President Theodore Roosevelt appoints a new commissioner of immigration, William Williams, who cleans house on Ellis Island beginning in 1902 by overhauling operations and facilities.

To eliminate corruption and abuse, Williams awards contracts based on merit and announces contracts will be revoked if any dishonesty is suspected. He imposes penalties for any violation of this rule and posts “Kindness and Consideration” signs as reminders to workers.

1903-1910 To create additional space at Ellis Island, two new islands are created using landfill. Island Two houses the hospital administration and psychiatric ward, while Island Three holds the contagious diseases ward.

By 1906, Ellis Island has grown to more than 27 acres, from an original size of only three acres.

Anarchists are denied admittance into the United States as of 1903. On April 17, 1907, an all-time daily high of 11,747 immigrants received is reached; that year, Ellis Island experiences its highest number of immigrants received in a single year, with 1,004,756 arrivals.

A federal law is passed excluding persons with physical and mental disabilities, as well as children arriving without adults.

1911-1919 World War I begins in 1914, and Ellis Island experiences a sharp decline in receiving immigrants: From 178,416 in 1915, the total drops to 28,867 in 1918.

Anti-immigrant sentiment increases after the U.S. enters the war in 1917; German citizens seized on ships in East Coast ports are held at Ellis Island before being deported.

Starting in 1917, Ellis Island operates as a hospital for the U.S. Army, a way station for Navy personnel and a detention center for enemy aliens. By 1918, the Army takes over most of Ellis Island and creates a makeshift way station to treat sick and wounded American servicemen.

The literacy test is introduced at this time, and stays on the books until 1952. Those over the age of 16 who cannot read 30 to 40 test words in their native language are no longer admitted through Ellis Island. Nearly all Asian immigrants are banned.

At war’s end, a “ Red Scare ” grips America in reaction to the Russian Revolution . Ellis Island is used to intern immigrant radicals accused of subversive activity; many of them are deported.

1920-1935 President Warren G. Harding signs the Emergency Quota Act into law in 1921. According to the new law, annual immigration from any country cannot exceed 3 percent of the total number of U.S. immigrants from that same country, as recorded in the U.S. Census of 1910.

The Immigration Act of 1924 goes even further, setting strict quotas for immigrants based on country of origin, including an annual limit of 165,000 immigrants from outside the Western Hemisphere.

The buildings on Ellis Island begin to fall into neglect and abandonment. America is experiencing the end of mass immigration. By 1932, the Great Depression has taken hold in the U.S., and for the first time ever, more people leave the country than arrive.

1949–1955 By 1949, the U.S. Coast Guard has taken over most of Ellis Island, using it for office and storage space. The passage of the Internal Security Act of 1950 excludes arriving immigrants with previous links to communist and fascist organizations. With this, Ellis Island experiences a brief resurgence in activity. Renovations and repairs are made in an effort to accommodate detainees, who sometimes number 1,500 at a time.

The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952 (also known as the McCarran–Walter Act ), combined with a liberalized detention policy, causes the number of detainees on the island to plummet to fewer than 30 people.

All 33 structures on Ellis Island are officially closed in November 1954.

In March 1955, the federal government declares the island surplus property; it is subsequently placed under the jurisdiction of the General Services Administration.

1965-1976 In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issues Proclamation 3656, according to which Ellis Island falls under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

Also in 1965, President Johnson signs the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 , also known as the Hart-Celler Act, which abolishes the earlier quota system based on national origin and establishes the foundations for modern U.S. immigration law.

The act allows more individuals from third-world countries to enter the U.S. (including Asians, who have in the past been barred from entry) and establishes a separate quota for refugees.

Ellis Island opens to the public in 1976, featuring hour-long guided tours of the Main Arrivals Building. During this year, more than 50,000 people visit the island.

1982-1990 In 1982, at the request of President Ronald Reagan , Lee Iacocca of the Chrysler Corporation heads the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation to raise funds from private investors for the restoration and preservation of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

By 1984, when the restoration begins, the annual number of visitors to Ellis Island has reached 70,000. The $156 million dollar restoration of Ellis Island’s Main Arrivals Building is completed and re-opened to the public in 1990, two years ahead of schedule.

The Main Building houses the new Ellis Island Immigration Museum, in which many of the rooms have been restored to the way they appeared during the island’s peak years. Since 1990, some 30 million visitors have visited Ellis Island to trace the steps of their ancestors.

Meanwhile, immigration into the United States continues, mostly by land routes through Canada and Mexico . Illegal immigration becomes a source of political debate throughout the 1980s and 1990s. More than 3 million aliens receive amnesty through the Immigration Reform Act in 1986, but an economic recession in the early 1990s is accompanied by a resurgence of anti-immigrant feeling.

1998 In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that New Jersey has authority over the south side of Ellis Island, or the section composed of the landfill added since the 1850s. New York retains authority over the island’s original 3.5 acres, which includes the bulk of the Main Arrivals Building.

The policies put into effect by the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 have greatly changed the face of the American population by the end of the 20th century. Whereas in the 1950s, more than half of all immigrants were Europeans and just 6 percent were Asians, by the 1990s only 16 percent are Europeans and 31 percent are Asians, and the percentages of Latino and African immigrants also jump significantly.

Between 1965 and 2000, the highest number of immigrants (4.3 million) to the U.S. comes from Mexico; 1.4 million are from the Philippines. Korea, the Dominican Republic, India, Cuba and Vietnam are also leading sources of immigrants, each sending between 700,000 and 800,000 over this period.

2001 The American Family Immigration History Center (AFIHC) opens on Ellis Island in 2001. The center allows visitors to search through millions of immigrant arrival records for information on individual people who passed through Ellis Island on their way into the United States.

The records include the original manifests, given to passengers onboard ships and showing names and other information, as well as information about the history and background of the ships that arrived in New York Harbor bearing hopeful immigrants to the New World.

Debates continue over how America should confront the effects of rising immigration rates throughout the 1990s. In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks , the Homeland Security Act of 2002 creates the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which takes over many immigration service and enforcement functions formerly performed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

2008-Present In 2008, plans are announced for an expansion of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum called “The Peopling of America,” which opened to the public on May 20, 2015. The museum’s exploration of the Ellis Island era (1892-1954) was expanded to include the entire American immigration experience up to the present day.

The First Arrival On January 1, 1892, teenager Annie Moore from County Cork, Ireland, became the first person admitted to the new immigration station on Ellis Island. On that opening day, she received a greeting from officials and a $10.00 gold piece. Annie traveled to New York with her two younger brothers on steerage aboard the S.S. Nevada , which left Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland, on December 20, 1891 and arrived in New York on the evening of December 31. After being processed, the children were reunited with their parents, who were already living in New York.

Beware the Buttonhook Men Doctors checked those passing through Ellis Island for more than 60 diseases and disabilities that might disqualify them from entry into the United States. Those suspected of being afflicted with a having a disease or disability were marked with chalk and detained for closer examination. All immigrants were checked closely for trachoma, a contagious eye condition that caused more detainments and deportations than any other ailment. To check for trachoma, the examiner used a buttonhook to turn each immigrant’s eyelids inside out, a procedure remembered by many Ellis Island arrivals as particularly painful and terrifying.

Dining at Ellis Island Food was plentiful at Ellis Island, despite various opinions as to its quality. A typical meal served in the dining hall might include beef stew, potatoes, bread and herring (a very cheap fish); or baked beans and stewed prunes. Immigrants were introduced to new foods, such as bananas, sandwiches and ice cream, as well as unfamiliar preparations. To meet the special dietary requirements of Jewish immigrants, a kosher kitchen was built in 1911. In addition to the free meals served, independent concessions sold packaged food that immigrants often bought to eat while they waited or take with them when they left the island.

Famous Names Many famous figures passed through Ellis Island, some leaving their original names behind on their entry into the U.S. Israel Beilin–better known as composer Irving Berlin –arrived in 1893; Angelo Siciliano, who arrived in 1903, later achieved fame as the bodybuilder Charles Atlas. Lily Chaucoin arrived from France to New York in 1911 and found Hollywood stardom as Claudette Colbert . Some were already famous when they arrived, such as Carl Jung or Sigmund Freud (both 1909), while some, like Charles Chaplin (1912) would make their name in the New World.

A Future Mayor Fiorello La Guardia , the future mayor of New York City, worked as an interpreter for the Immigration Service at Ellis Island from 1907 to 1910, while he was completing law school at New York University. Born in New York in 1882 to immigrants of Italian and Jewish ancestry, La Guardia lived for a time in Hungary and worked at the American consulates in Budapest and other cities. From his experience at Ellis Island, La Guardia came to believe that many of the deportations for so-called mental illness were unjustified, often due to communication problems or to the ignorance of doctors doing the inspections.

“I’m Coming to New Jersey” After the Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that the state of New Jersey, not New York, had authority over the majority of the 27.5 acres that make up Ellis Island, one of the most vocal New York boosters, then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani , famously remarked of the court’s decision: “They’re still not going to convince me that my grandfather, when he was sitting in Italy, thinking of coming to the United States, and on the shores getting ready to get on that ship in Genoa, was saying to himself, ‘I’m coming to New Jersey.’ He knew where he was coming to. He was coming to the streets of New York.”

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Closing the Door on Immigration. National Park Service . Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty—Ellis Island Foundation, Inc . Ellis Island. UNESCO World Heritage Convention . Topics in Chronicling America - Ellis Island. Library of Congress . Immigration and Deportation at Ellis Island. PBS: American Experience .

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How To Visit Ellis Island in 2024: Tickets, Hours, Tours, and More

Emilie Murphy Last Updated: October 26, 2023

Around 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island, just off New York City, in search of a better life. Since then, it’s become a popular tourist destination for visitors and locals alike. But since it’s an island, you might need help understanding how to get there. Here’s how to plan a perfect visit to Ellis Island, plus all the important details about tickets, hours, and more!

Pro Tip: Planning your trip to NYC? Bookmark this post in your browser so you can easily find it when you’re in the city. See our guide to New York City for more planning resources, our best NYC tours for a memorable trip, and the top things to do in NYC .

Visiting Ellis Island: What We’ll Cover

Though it’s only 27.5 acres in size, Ellis Island has played a huge role in American history. During its time as the nation’s major immigration center on the East Coast (from 1892 to 1954), Ellis Island processed over 12 million immigrants, according to the National Park Service.

Many visitors have family members who passed through this famous island to begin their dream of living in America. Even if your family didn’t immigrate through Ellis Island, it’s a remarkable place to visit. Here’s what we’ll cover in this article that’s all about how to visit Ellis Island.

• Opening hours and tickets
• How long to budget for your visit
• How to get there
• What to see and do
• Guided tour options
• Facts and history of Ellis Island

Ellis Island Opening Hours and Tickets

Opening Hours:

Open Sunday – Monday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. The History Center on Ellis Island is also open during the day from 10 am to 3:30 pm. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are only closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

To purchase ferry tickets, you can buy them either in person at box offices located within Castle Garden at Battery Park, online, or by booking with a tour agency.

Pro Tip: Ferry tickets can be purchased up to 6 months in advance, so save yourself time waiting in line and make sure you can visit when you’re here!

Did you know tickets for admittance to Ellis Island or Liberty Island (and on-site attractions) are not required? Tickets are required, however, for the ferries that transport tourists to and from both sites. Ferries depart every 20 to 30 minutes, though timetables change depending on the season. 

General Admission: $24.50 per adult, $12 for Children 4-12, $18 for seniors (62+)

Other ticket options that offer special tours are also available at a higher price. These include a hard hat tour of Ellis Island and access to the Statue of Liberty pedestal. 

Departure address: Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park – Liberty Island, New York, NY 

Not ready to book a tour? Check out our  New York Guide for more resources.

How Much Time To Budget For Ellis Island

Short Answer:   2 to 4 hours for both islands and their museums. This includes the ferry ride and time spent on the island.

Pro Tip: If you have the time, you should see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty together. The ferry lines and scheduling make it easier to group the two together, and the history of the two places comes alive when seen as a pair. If you opt for both, we advise you budget at least 3 hours for the entire round-trip experience. Of course, if you’ve bought tickets ahead of time that let you skip the line, you’ll save time on the front end too!

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How To Get to Ellis Island From New York City

As its name might suggest, Ellis Island is only available by ferry. There are two ferries that transport visitors to and from both Liberty and Ellis islands, one leaving from Jersey City, NJ, the other from Battery Park in downtown NYC. However, getting to the ferry also takes advance planning, and there are several ways to do so. 

There are multiple trains that can take visitors down to Battery Park to grab the ferry. Options include taking Local 1 (7th Avenue Line on New York’s West Side) to the last stop, which is South Ferry; grabbing the Express 4 or 5 trains (Lexington Avenue Line on the East Side) to Bowling Green; or the Local R/W train from Brooklyn/Queens (Broadway Line) to Whitehall Street.

Take the M1, M6 or M15 bus lines to South Ferry. It’s the last stop on all three routes, so you can’t miss it!

If you’re coming from the east side, take the FDR Drive South to Exit 1, South Ferry/Battery Park. If coming from the west side, take the Westside Highway South (Route 9A) to Battery Park.

Pro Tip: Parking is always a challenge in NYC. Save yourself the headache and opt for public transportation to and from the ferry docks.

What to See and Do At Ellis Island

Once you’re on Ellis Island, there are a few must-visit sites. For more in-depth descriptions, history, and images, check out our article on the top things to see at Ellis Island.

• Ellis Island Immigration Museum
• The Wall of Honor
• The Family History Center
• Contagious Infectious Disease Hospital of Ellis Island
• Enjoy views of downtown NYC & Liberty Island

Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty Tour Options

If you’re planning a trip to Ellis Island, you should consider one of our guided tours. This is an easy solution when considering how to visit Ellis Island. As the island is one of the more popular tourist spots in New York City, lines can get very long.

We offer skip-the-line rides at the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island ferry line. Our local guides will not only illuminate the history of the place but make the trip smooth and easy.

Join us on an epic journey through American history! On this tour you’ll visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island with roundtrip ferry transport included all with a local guide who will describe the city’s amazing history as you visit the picturesque monument.

See tour itinerary, price, and description

Facts and History Of Ellis Island

To get you excited about your trip, here are some interesting facts about Ellis Island and its history, thanks to the official Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island website. You can also read more about the important history of Ellis Island in our article.

• Ellis Island was originally only 3 acres in size but was expanded through land reclamation projects to its current area of 27.5 acres. 
• Ellis Island is named for Manhattan merchant Samuel Ellis who was the original owner in the 1770s.
• The island was owned by the state of New York until 1808 when it was sold to the federal government for immigration purposes.
• During its 62 years of operation, Ellis Island welcomed more than 12 million immigrants into the United States.
• A massive fire in June of 1897 burned the immigration station to the ground. No lives were lost, but immigration records dating back to 1855 were lost. 
• Contrary to popular belief, only 2% of arriving immigrants were denied entry to the U.S. at Ellis Island. The main reasons for exclusion were contagious disease diagnoses or concern about an immigrant’s likelihood of becoming a public charge.
• Ellis Island’s busiest year was 1907 when it processed 1.25 million immigrants.
• After World War I, Ellis Island became used as a detainment center for displaced persons, war refugees, or immigrants with paperwork issues.
• In 1954, the US government officially closed Ellis Island after the release of the last remaining detainee, a Norwegian merchant seaman named Arne Peterssen.

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Home » Uncategorized » Virtual Tour of Ellis Island

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Virtual Tour of Ellis Island

While Ellis Island has been closed for just about 70 years, it had a major impact on the lives of many people trying to enter the country for the first time and it has cemented itself as a major part of the History of the US. Today I am going to share some interesting details and facts I learned while partaking in a virtual tour of the island.

Arrival in Awe

Ellis island itself is located not too far away from Liberty Island which holds the famous statue of liberty which was built in 1886. Many immigrants arriving in New York harbor for the first time were greeted with this amazing sight to behold. Many would cheer or weep with joy at the sight, a symbol that their journey to the US had finally finished. Yet for many passengers, they still had a lot to go through before they could step foot in the US as after a quick health inspection, most immigrants were brought to Ellis Island to undergo immigration processing.

(The statue of liberty seen from the side of a passing ship.)

Processing People

Once immigrants arrived at Ellis Island, they were forced to undergo a series of more intensive health inspections as doctors checked for issues such as sickness, disease, physical impairments, and even troubled breathing. While most people had to wait 3-5 hours for these health checks to be completed, this wasn’t because the tests were lengthy but because the amount of people entering each day made the lines incredibly long. People that failed health inspections were placed into quarantine to undergo further inspections and some were even sent back to their home countries.

(A woman undergoes an eye exam during processing.)

The Legal Inspection

Once people passed the health examination, they would meet one on one with a uniformed inspector. This inspector had access to records on each immigrant’s information which was provided by the crew of ships the passengers arrived on. The inspector would then ask questions such as “Where were you born? Are you married? What is your occupation? Have you ever been convicted of a crime? How much money do you have? What is your destination?” If the immigrant gave any information’s that contradicted what was stated on the records provided by the crew, they could be detained for further questioning. If the information checked out, they would continue up a flight of stair before finally being free to start a new life in a new country.

(An official question’s an immigrant on their records.)

Final Thoughts

Having never participated in many virtual tours this was a really incredible presentation of an important place and part of US history. As an aspiring history teacher, I would love to be able to implement these kinds of tours into my classroom so I can provide a more interesting and engaging learning environment for students.

Thanks everyone for checking out my 5th Blog. If you’d like to check out the virtual tour of Ellis Island yourself, click this link https://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/index.html . If you get the chance check out my previous 4 for more stories and details on education related subjects.

Tags: education , history

Everything is very opedn with a precise description of the challenges. It wass defdinitely informative. Your website is extremely helpful.Thanks ffor sharing!

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The Ellis Island Museum Is Revitalizing the Story of American Immigration

A $100 million renovation will help preserve the history of the millions of immigrants who passed through the island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Daily Correspondent

Between 1892 and 1954, more than 12 million immigrants passed through  Ellis Island hoping to start a new life in America. Situated between New York and New Jersey, the historic site was often the first piece of dry land weary travelers touched after a long journey across the Atlantic.

Since 1990, the site has been home to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration . Now, after more than three decades, the museum is getting a makeover.

The $100 million project, which was announced late last month, includes the creation of new public spaces, the expansion of the American Immigrant Wall of Honor and the development of new interactive experiences. When work is complete, the museum will have touchscreens, immersive films, soundscapes and other pieces of media.

The museum will also offer self-guided tours in 12 languages, as well as American Sign Language tours and descriptive audio tours for visitors who are blind or visually impaired.

The historic structure will feature an expanded family history center, where guests can look up  their relatives . Crews will add new exhibition space, a miniature theater and public research stations.

The museum is also expanding its arrival records database by adding nearly 90 million records from other ports of entry nationwide, including New Orleans and San Francisco, reports CNN ’s Catherine E. Shoichet. When finished, the database will include 154 million searchable documents.

At its peak, Ellis Island  processed around 5,000 immigrants per day. So many people passed through that an estimated 40 percent of individuals living in the United States today are related to someone who arrived via the island, per the  National Park Service .

Searching for those ancestors is “kind of the emotional core of a visit to the island,” says Jesse Brackenbury, president and CEO of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation , which runs the museum in partnership with the National Park Service, to CNN.

“You get off the ferry in the exact same place where 12 million people got off the ferry, and you walk into the baggage room, and you follow in their footsteps … in a place where the walls are just vibrating with history,” he adds.

The building will also get some structural upgrades, including renovated restrooms, Wi-Fi networks and HVAC and electrical systems. Crews will install additional seating, better signage and a 120-foot-wide video screen. For guests who don’t have time to explore all of the museum’s 137,000 square feet, a new gallery near the entrance will provide an overview of the museum’s themes.

“Visitors who come are often a little tired by the time they get there,” Brackenbury tells the  New York Times ’ James Barron. “You’ve waited for the ferry and taken the ferry, and it’s been a long day already.”

Crews will complete the interior work in phases so that the museum can remain open for the duration of the project, which is slated to finish in 2026. The foundation has raised roughly 60 percent of the funding needed for the renovation and is seeking donations to cover the rest of the costs.

Separately, the National Park Service is launching a  $17.7 million project to give the Beaux-Arts building’s exterior a facelift. Crews will replace the windows and re-point the facade to help prevent water infiltration and improve the building’s thermal efficiency.

Ellis Island became the nation’s primary federal immigration station when it opened on January 1, 1892. After World War I, the U.S. imposed strict immigration quotas , which decreased the number of people coming into the county. For immigrants who did make it through, new laws allowed them to visit an American embassy or consulate in their home country before continuing on to the U.S., replacing Ellis Island’s inspection process. At that point, it became a detention facility for “enemy aliens, those immigrants over-staying their leave, any potentially undesirable immigrants and those with questionable cases,” according to the  National Park Service .

The island officially closed in 1954, and its buildings and infrastructure gradually began to show their age. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson made Ellis Island part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, placing it under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. 

Nearly two decades later, in the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan asked automaker executive Lee Iacocca to raise private funds to restore Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, which led to the creation of the foundation.

“We are a nation of immigrants, and Ellis Island is the symbol of that history,” says Brackenbury in the foundation’s statement. “Our project will ensure that the National Museum of Immigration will welcome, educate and inspire visitors for decades to come.”

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Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.

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Fantastic tour! The guide was wonderful and very informative. Lots of photo opportunities. Highly recommend to anyone.

A must see when in New York. Great experience going from Liberty Island to Ellis island. Our guide was super nice, very knowledgeable.

Tour was fantastic and our guide Eric was very knowledgeable! Our 8-year-old daughter loved it and so did we!

This tour took the stress off of us to have to do a lot of pre planning. Our tour guide was Jett and he was very knowledgeable about the history of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

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Immigration | Stories of Yesterday and Today

A new land 1492-1790.

Expanding America 1790-1880

The american dream 1880-1930, a place of refuge 1930-1965.

Building a Modern America 1965-Today

The beautiful land of the New World amazed the European explorers who arrived on North American shores around 1500. They realized the economic possibilities of the fertile soil and many natural resources. In the 17th century, Europeans established successful permanent settlements in what is now the United States. The European settlers soon dominated the Native American civilizations, which had existed for thousands of years. The major European powers (including England, Spain, and France) established colonies,

which are lands controlled by a faraway government. The people who lived in the colonies were called colonists. Enduring great hardship, the colonists built new communities in the New World

The Explorers

In 1492, Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer and excellent sailor, crossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of a shorter trade route to Asia. After more than two months at sea, he landed in the Bahamas in the Caribbean islands. Although Columbus never reached the mainland of North America, he had discovered the gateway to a vast continent unexplored by Europeans. Columbus returned to Europe believing he had reached previously unknown islands in Asia. Word of the new route spread in Europe. Over the next few decades, other explorers followed in Columbus's wake, hoping to take advantage of the shortcut to Asia. It would be another Italian explorer, named Amerigo Vespucci, who realized that what had actually been discovered was a continent unknown to Europeans. He called it the New World.

New Settlements

European nations—including Spain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and England—vied to claim pieces of the new land. In the 1600s, England founded colonies along the Atlantic seaboard, from what is now New Hampshire to Georgia. These original 13 colonies would eventually become the United States of America. Spain founded a colony at Saint Augustine, Florida, as early as 1565 and would go on to claim parts of what are now the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. France established colonies along the Saint Lawrence River, in what is now Canada; and also in the southern part of North America, in the region that is now Louisiana. The Dutch began the settlement of New Amersterdam on the southern tip of what is now Manhattan Island, home to part of New York City. The European countries often fought each over ownership of the new land; more land meant more power and economic opportunity.

Jamestown Succeeds

In 1607, England sent 100 men to America to found a new colony. The colony was named Jamestown after King James I and was located on the coast of what is now Virginia. It would become the first English colony to succeed in America, but its beginning was exceptionally difficult. The colonists were hoping to find gold easily, but didn't. And tragically, they hadn't anticipated how hard it would be to survive in the New World. More than half of the settlers died in the first year because of the harsh winters, poor planning, and disease. But under the leadership of the colonist John Smith, the colony began to succeed. They grew tobacco, which was sent back to England and sold for profit. With the profit, the colonists had the money to plant other crops, such as wheat, grapes, and corn, which is a food native to North America. By 1620, Jamestown plus other settlements that sprang up nearby had a population of about 4,000. The colony was thriving. This economic success gave England a powerful interest in protecting its foothold in the New World.

Slavery Begins

Africans first arrived in North America in 1619. In that year, 20 African people were brought to the Jamestown colony aboard a Dutch warship. They were slaves. They had been taken from their homes in Africa by force. They were beaten and enchained by men carrying weapons. Over the next almost 200 years, hundreds of thousands of Africans would be brought to America as slaves to work on plantations, especially to grow tobacco. By the end of the colonial period, Africans numbered about 500,000 and formed about 20 percent of the population of the United States.

The Pilgrims

Some colonies were formed because people wanted to escape religious persecution in Europe. In 17th century England, two groups of Christians, the Catholics and the Anglicans, were arguing over what religion and church should be the true church of England. Some of the Anglicans, called Puritans, thought that there should be more distinction between their Church of England and the Catholic Church. Some Puritans, called the Separatists, didn't want to belong to the Church of England at all anymore. King James, who was the head of the Church of England, would not allow the Separatists to practice religion on their own. To escape the situation in England, a small group of Separatists left Europe on the Mayflower ship. In 1620, the ship landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, carrying 102 passengers. Many were Separatists, who became known as the Pilgrims. They established Plymouth Colony. After the Pilgrims, many more people flocked to the new colonies for religious reasons: About 200,000 Puritans emigrated from England during the years 1620 to 1641.

Religious Freedom

After the Pilgrims, many other immigrants came to America for the religious freedom it offered. The colony of Maryland was founded in 1634 as a refuge for Catholics, who were persecuted in England in the 17th century. In 1681, William Penn began a Quaker colony in the land that was later named after him: Pennsylvania. The main settlement was Philadelphia, which prospered through farming and commerce. In 1685, 14,000 Huguenots who were persecuted in France also joined the growing English colonies.

Expanding Colonies

Early immigrants to America settled up and down the East Coast. Farming was difficult in the rocky soil of New England, so people grew only enough food for their families to live on. This is called subsistence farming. They also became fishermen, fishing cod in the Atlantic Ocean and selling it to the European markets. As they needed good ships for fishing, they started making them, becoming successful shipbuilders. In the South, where farming was easier, colonists started large plantations to grow crops, such as tobacco, rice, and indigo. Indigo was a rich blue dye, mainly used for dyeing textiles. Plantations depended on the free labor of the slaves. Many more slaves were forced to come to America to meet the demand for labor. By the time of the Revolutionary War, about 2.5 million people lived in the colonies, including approximately 450,000 Africans; 200,000 Irish; 500,000 Scottish and Scotch-Irish; 140,000 Germans; and 12,000 French.

As the colonies grew, people began to look past the natural barrier of the Appalachian Mountains. They moved west into the frontier lands, in what is now Ohio, and beyond.

A New Nation

The colonies grew prosperous and the population increased. Between the time of the first settlements and the Revolutionary War, about seven generations of people were born in America. Many of them no longer wanted to be ruled by the English throne. And they didn't want to pay taxes to the English government when they had no colonial representation in the Parliament. They became known as Patriots, or Whigs, and they included Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. The Loyalists were colonists who wanted to remain part of England. The Patriots and Loyalists were bitterly divided on the issue. In 1776, the Continental Congress, a group of leaders from each of the 13 colonies, issued the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration stated that the United States of America was its own country. The Patriots fought England in the Revolutionary War to gain independence for the colonies.

In 1783, with the help of the French, who had joined their side, the colonists won the war. The United States of America was a new nation. The new government conducted a census, or count, of everyone living in the United States. At the time of the first census in 1790, nearly 700,00 Africans and 3 million Europeans lived in the new United States.

• The Americas

In the decades after the Revolutionary War, the 13 original colonies grew to include states stretching from Maine in the north to Louisiana in the south; from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to Illinois in the west. As a new nation, the United States of America thrived. By 1820, the population had grown to nearly 10 million people. The quality of life for ordinary people was improving. People were moving west, creating towns along the route of the Transcontinental Railroad, which connected the entire country by rail, east to west, for the first time.

The prosperous young country lured Europeans who were struggling with population growth, land redistribution, and industrialization, which had changed the traditional way of life for peasants. These people wanted to escape poverty and hardship in their home countries. More than 8 million would come to the United States from 1820 to 1880.

Slavery Continues

At the turn of the 19th century, more than 1 million African Americans lived in the United States. As slaves, they were not considered citizens. Large farms and plantations depended on the free labor they provided in fields and homes. It was difficult, backbreaking work. In 1808, the United States government banned the importation of enslaved people into the country, although the practice did continue illegally. Slavery, however, was not abolished for nearly 60 more years.

The Irish and Germans

In the early and mid-19th century, nearly all of the immigrants coming to the United States arrived from northern and western Europe. In 1860, seven out of 10 foreign-born people in the United States were Irish or German. Most of the Irish were coming from poor circumstances. With little money to travel any further, they stayed in the cities where they arrived, such as Boston and New York City. More than 2,335,000 Irish arrived between 1820 and 1870. The Germans who came during the time period were often better off than the Irish were. They had enough money to journey to the Midwestern cities, such as Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis, or to claim farmland. More than 2,200,000 Germans arrived between 1820 and 1870.

The Irish Potato Famine

In 1845, a famine began in Ireland. A potato fungus, also called blight, ruined the potato crop for several years in a row. Potatoes were a central part of the Irish diet, so hundreds of thousands of people now didn't have enough to eat. At the same time of the famine, diseases, such as cholera, were spreading. Starvation and disease killed more than a million people. These extreme conditions caused mass immigration of Irish people to the United States. Between 1846 and 1852, more than a million Irish are estimated to have arrived in America. The men found jobs building railroads, digging canals, and working in factories; they also became policemen and firemen. Irish women often worked as domestic servants. Even after the famine ended, Irish people continued to come to America in search of a better life. More than 3.5 million Irish in total had arrived by 1880.

Civil War and the End of Slavery

In the early 1860s, the United States was in crisis. The Northern states and Southern states could not agree on the issue of slavery. Most people in the Northern states thought slavery was wrong. People in South, where the plantations depended on slavery, wanted to continue the practice. In 1861, the Civil War began between the North and South. It would be an extremely bloody war; over 600,000 people would die in the fighting. Many immigrants fought in the war. Since immigrants had settled mostly in the North, where factories provided jobs and small farms were available, hundreds of thousands of foreign-born men fought for the Union. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all the slaves in the rebelling Southern states were free. It was the beginning of the end of slavery.

To ensure that the abolishment of slavery was permanent, Congress passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which outlawed slavery throughout the United States. The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, declared that African Americans were citizens of the United States. In 1870, African Americans numbered almost 5 million and made up 12.7 percent of the U.S. population.

The Homestead Act

In the late 19th century, America was looking west. People began moving away from the now crowded Eastern cities. Some were motivated by the Homestead Act of 1862, which offered free land from the government. The government offered to give 160 acres of land—considered a good size for a single family to farm—in areas including Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. Homesteaders were required to stay on the land, build a home, and farm the land for five years. The offer attracted migrants from inside the country—and waves of more immigrants from Europe. For example, many people from Sweden, where land was extremely scarce, were drawn to come to the United States. These brave settlers worked hard to start a new life on the frontier. Though life was difficult, many succeeded.

The Transcontinental Railroad

The Transcontinental Railroad was a massive construction project that linked the country by rail from east to west. The railway was built entirely by hand during a six-year period, with construction often continuing around the clock. Chinese and Irish immigrants were vital to the project. In 1868, Chinese immigrants made up about 80 percent of the workforce of the Central Pacific Railroad, one of the companies building the railway. The workers of the Union Pacific Railroad, another company that built the railroad, were mostly Irish immigrants. These railroad workers labored under dangerous conditions, often risking their lives. After the Transatlantic Railroad was completed, cities and towns sprung up all along its path, and immigrants moved to these new communities. The Transcontinental Railroad was a radical improvement in travel in the United States; after its completion, the trip from East Coast to West Coast, which once took months, could be made in five days.

By 1880, America was booming. The image of America as a land of promise attracted people from all over the world. On the East Coast, Ellis Island welcomed new immigrants, largely from Europe. America was "the golden door," a metaphor for a prosperous society that welcomed immigrants. Asian immigrants, however, didn't have the same experience as European immigrants. They were the focus of one of the first major pieces of legislation on immigration. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 severely restricted immigration from China.

And the 1907 "Gentlemen's Agreement" between Japan and the United States was an informal agreement that limited immigration from Japan. Despite those limitations, nearly 30 million immigrants arrived from around the world during this great wave of immigration, more than at any time before.

Ellis Island

In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison designated Ellis Island in New York Harbor as the nation's first immigration station. At the time, people traveled across the Atlantic Ocean by steamship to the bustling port of New York City. The trip took one to two weeks, much faster than in the past (when sailing ships were the mode of transportation), a fact that helped fuel the major wave of immigration. For many immigrants, one of their first sights in America was the welcoming beacon of the Statue of Liberty, which was dedicated in 1886. Immigrants were taken from their ships to be processed at Ellis Island before they could enter the country. About 12 million immigrants would pass through Ellis Island during the time of its operation, from 1892 to 1954. Many of them were from Southern and Eastern Europe. They included Russians, Italians, Slavs, Jews, Greeks, Poles, Serbs, and Turks. Explore the Ellis Island Interactive Tour

Bursting Cities

New immigrants flooded into cities. In places like New York and Chicago, groups of immigrants chose to live and work near others from their home countries. Whole neighborhoods or blocks could be populated with people from the same country. Small pockets of America would be nicknamed "Little Italy" or "Chinatown." Immigrants often lived in poor areas of the city. In New York, for example, whole families crowded into tiny apartments in tenement buildings on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Many organizations were formed to try to help the new immigrants adjust to life in America. Settlement houses, such as Hull House in Chicago, and religious-based organizations worked to help the immigrants learn English and life skills, such as cooking and sewing.

Angel Island

On the West Coast, Asian immigrants were processed at Angel Island, often called the "Ellis Island of the West." Angel Island, which lies off the coast of San Francisco, opened in 1910. Although the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricted immigration, 175,000 Chinese came through Angel Island over a period of three decades. They were overwhelmingly the main group processed here: In fact, 97 percent of the immigrants who passed through Angel Island were from China. Explore the Angel Island Activity

Building America

Many of the immigrants who arrived in the early 20th century were poor and hardworking. They took jobs paving streets, laying gas lines, digging subway tunnels, and building bridges and skyscrapers. They also got jobs in America's new factories, where conditions could be dangerous, making shoes, clothing, and glass products. Immigrants fueled the lumber industry in the Pacific Northwest, the mining industry in the West, and steel manufacturing in the Midwest. They went to the territory of Hawaii to work on sugar cane plantations. Eventually, they bargained for better wages and improved worker safety. They were on the road to becoming America's middle class.

By the 1920s, America had absorbed millions of new immigrants. The country had just fought in the "Great War", as World War I was known then. People became suspicious of foreigners' motivations. Some native-born Americans started to express their dislike of foreign-born people. They were fearful that immigrants would take the available jobs. Some Americans weren't used to interacting with people who spoke different languages, practiced a different religion, or were a different race. Racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia (fear and hatred of foreigners) were the unfortunate result. In 1924, Congress passed the National Origins Act. It placed restrictions and quotas on who could enter the country. The annual quotas limited immigration from any country to 3 percent of the number of people from that country who were living in the United States in 1890. The effect was to exclude Asians, Jews, blacks, and non-English speakers.

The Great Depression and War in Europe

In the 1930s, the country was going through the Great Depression, a terrible period of economic hardship. People were out of work, hungry, and extremely poor. Few immigrants came during this period; in fact, many people returned to their home countries. Half a million Mexicans left, for example, in what was known as the Mexican Repatriation. Unfortunately, many of those Mexicans were forced to leave by the U.S. government. In 1933, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was formed. It still exists today. In 1938, World War II started in Europe. America was again concerned about protecting itself. Fears about foreign-born people continued to grow. As a result of the turmoil in the 1930s, immigration figures dropped dramatically from where they had been in previous decades. In the 1920s, approximately 4,300,000 immigrants came to the United States; in the 1930s, fewer than 700,000 arrived.

World War II and the Postwar Period

The United States entered World War II in 1942. During the war, immigration decreased. There was fighting in Europe, transportation was interrupted, and the American consulates weren't open. Fewer than 10 percent of the immigration quotas from Europe were used from 1942 to 1945. In many ways, the country was still fearful of the influence of foreign-born people. The United States was fighting Germany, Italy, and Japan (also known as the Axis Powers), and the U.S. government decided it would detain certain resident aliens of those countries. (Resident aliens are people who are living permanently in the United States but are not citizens.) Oftentimes, there was no reason for these people to be detained, other than fear and racism. Beginning in 1942, the government even detained American citizens who were ethnically Japanese. The government did this despite the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which says "nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property without the due process of law."

Also because of the war, the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943. China had quickly become an important ally of the United States against Japan; therefore, the U.S. government did away with the offensive law. Chinese immigrants could once again legally enter the country, although they did so only in small numbers for the next couple of decades. After World War II, the economy began to improve in the United States. Many people wanted to leave war-torn Europe and come to America. President Harry S. Truman urged the government to help the "appalling dislocation" of hundreds of thousands of Europeans. In 1945, Truman said, "everything possible should be done at once to facilitate the entrance of some of these displaced persons and refugees into the United States. " On January 7, 1948, Truman urged Congress to "pass suitable legislation at once so that this Nation may do its share in caring for homeless and suffering refugees of all faiths.

I believe that the admission of these persons will add to the strength and energy of the Nation." Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. It allowed for refugees to come to the United States who otherwise wouldn't have been allowed to enter under existing immigration law. The Act marked the beginning of a period of refugee immigration.

The Cold War Begins

In 1953, the Refugee Relief Act was passed to replace the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, which had expired. It also allowed non-Europeans to come to the United States as refugees. The Refugee Relief Act also reflected the U.S. government's concern with Communism, a political ideology that was gaining popularity in the world, particularly in the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was also controlling the governments of other countries. The Act allowed people fleeing from those countries to enter the United States. When he signed the Act, President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "This action demonstrates again America's traditional concern for the homeless, the persecuted, and the less fortunate of other lands. It is a dramatic contrast to the tragic events taking place in East Germany and in other captive nations." By "captive nations," Eisenhower meant countries being dominated by the Soviet Union.

In 1956, there was a revolution in Hungary in which the people protested the Soviet-controlled government. Many people fled the country during the short revolution. They were known as "fifty-sixers". About 36,000 Hungarians came to the United States during this time. Some of their countrymen also moved to Canada. In 1959, Cuba experienced a revolution, and Fidel Castro took over the government. His dictatorship aligned itself with the Soviet Union. More than 200,000 Cubans left their country in the years after the revolution; many of them settled in Florida.

Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act, also known as the Hart-Celler Act. This act repealed the quota system based on national origins that had been in place since 1921. This was the most significant change to immigration policy in decades. Instead of quotas, immigration policy was now based on a preference for reuniting families and bringing highly skilled workers to the United States. This was a change because in the past, many immigrants were less skilled and less educated than the average American worker. In the modern period, many immigrants would be doctors, scientists, and high-tech workers. Because Europe was recovering from the war, fewer Europeans were deciding to move to America. But people from the rest of world were eager to move here. Asians and Latin Americans, in particular, were significant groups in the new wave of immigration. Within five years after the act was signed, for example, Asian immigration had doubled.

Vietnamese Immigration and the Refugee Act

During the 1960s and 1970s, America was involved in a war in Vietnam. Vietnam is located in Southeast Asia, on the Indochina peninsula. From the 1950s into the 1970s there was a great deal of conflict in the area. After the war, Vietnamese refugees started coming to the United States. During the 1970s, about 120,000 Vietnamese came, and hundreds of thousands more continued to arrive during the next two decades. In 1980, the government passed the Refugee Act, a law that was meant specifically to help refugees who needed to come to the country. Refugees come because they fear persecution due to their race, religion, political beliefs, or other reasons. The United States and other countries signed treaties, or legal agreements, that said they should help refugees. The Refugee Act protected this type of immigrant's right to come to America.

Latin American Immigration

During the 1980s, waves of immigrants arrived from Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Hundreds of thousands of people came just from Cuba, fleeing the oppressive dictatorship of Fidel Castro. This was a significant new wave of immigrants: During the 1980s, 8 million immigrants came from Latin America, a number nearly equal to the total figure of European immigrants who came to the United States from 1900 to 1910, when European immigration was at a high point. The new immigrants changed the makeup of America: By 1990, Latinos in the United States were about 11.2 percent of the total population.

A Multicultural America

Since 1990, immigration has been increasing. It is at its highest point in America's history. In both the 1990s and 2000s, around 10 million new immigrants came to the United States. The previous record was from 1900 to 1910, when around 8 million immigrants arrived. In 2000, the foreign-born population of the United States was 28.4 million people. Also in that year, California became the first state in which no one ethnic group made up a majority. Today, more than 80 percent of immigrants in the United States are Latin American or Asian. By comparison, as recently as the 1950s, two-thirds of all immigrants to the United States came from Europe or Canada.

The main countries of origin for immigrants today are Mexico, the Philippines, China, Cuba, and India. About 1 in 10 residents of the United States is foreign-born. Today, the United States is a truly multicultural society.

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Interactive Tour of Ellis Island

1st stop the passage, did you know.

• Emigrant and immigrant are related words Learn more
• The invention of steamships transformed immigration Learn more

Most of the immigrants who came to America through Ellis Island were from eastern and southern Europe. In many cases, they came to escape the poverty and religious intolerance that existed in small towns in countries such as Italy, Poland, and Russia.

They began their journey to America on foot, horseback, or train. Many trekked hundreds of miles across Europe to get to a seaport. When they arrived at the coast, they boarded a steamship.

The trip across the Atlantic Ocean lasted one to two weeks. The ships divided passengers by wealth and class. First- and second-class passengers stayed in staterooms and cabins. But most people were in third class, called "steerage." Steerage was a large, open space at the bottom of the ship.

As many as 3,000 people crowded the ships. They often came from different countries, spoke different languages, and belonged to different religions.

Traveling in Europe was often difficult. People sometimes had to walk far distances, carrying their possessions with them.

Immigrants traveled from Europe to America by steamship.

Ships were crowded with thousands of passengers.

Children wave the flag of their new country.

Passengers make time for dancing aboard the ship.

Photo: The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc./National Park Service

Emigrant and immigrant are related words

An emigrant is someone who leaves her home country to settle in another country. An immigrant is someone who has come from another country to settle in a new place, usually permanently.

The invention of steamships transformed immigration

Before the invention of steamships, people took sailing ships to come to America. The trip could take anywhere from one to six months! On steamships, tickets were less expensive and the trip was shorter, which helped prevent diseases from spreading onboard. So many more people decided to make the trip.

An Informative Blog For Everyone

Is there a virtual tour of ellis island.

Table of Contents

The tour was completed and launched in late 2015. This virtual tour is primarily of the South Side of Ellis Island, the location of the historic hospital complex.

Is a tour of Ellis Island worth it?

As a tour guide, a question I hear a lot is: “Is it worth it to see Ellis Island?” For those who have no familial connection or relation to the people who passed through, its importance and influence can often be overlooked. Which is why I am here to tell you that it is absolutely, 100% worth it.

Why is Ellis Island closed?

The closure came after Arne Peterssen, a seaman detained for having overstayed his shore leave, became the last person to be processed there. He returned to his native Norway. For 32 years, third-class passengers first alighted at the 27-acre island.

What happens if you had trachoma in Ellis Island?

1900s. Immigrants arriving in the US on Ellis Island were checked for trachoma using a buttonhook to examine their eyelids – they often warned each other to ‘beware the buttonhook men’. Anyone found to have the disease was sent home or treated before being allowed into the country.

Can virtual world bring field trips to the classroom?

While traveling around the world or exploring objects up close has been limited, we can transform learning with virtual reality in the classroom. With virtual reality field trips, we can provide engaging and immersive learning experiences for our students.

Can you climb the Statue of Liberty 2021?

Crown Access to the Statue of Liberty remains closed but will be part of a later reopening phase in 2021. Crown reservations must be purchased in advance through the ‘Book Now’ link. Same-day crown tickets are not available, and we do not keep a waitlist. You can reserve a maximum of four people per transaction.

Can you go inside the Statue of Liberty 2022?

Visitors are treated to the Statue of Liberty as well as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. However, access inside the monument is not granted through a Reserve Ticket.

Can you go to Ellis Island without going to the Statue of Liberty?

Monuments to Freedom While you don’t need a ticket to enter the Statue of Liberty Museum or Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, tickets are required to board ferries to Liberty and Ellis Islands.

What did chalk marks on an immigrants clothing mean?

Exemplifying this notion, PHS regulations encouraged officers to place a chalk mark indicating the suspected disease or defect on the clothing of immigrants as they passed through the line: the letters “EX” on the lapel of a coat indicated that the individual should merely be further examined; the letter “C,” that the …

Who owns Ellis Island now?

The State of New York passes an act which cedes control of Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, and Bedloe’s Island (later changed to Liberty Island) to the United States Government. However, Ellis Island is still owned by the Ellis family.

How long is a virtual field trip?

approximately 60 minutes Virtual Field Trips Options: Virtual field trips are taught live by an informal education specialist and are approximately 60 minutes in length. The virtual field trips consist of a presentation and a hands-on activity using common readily available supplies (likely on-hand at home and school).

Why are we forced to have a virtual field trip?

Virtual field trips are not limited by distance and are typically more cost-effective than traditional in-person field trips. They eliminate the need for transportation, decrease lost instruction time spent on travel, and involve fewer safety concerns (no permission slips required).