Immigrants & Ellis Island
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America is a nation of immigrants.
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Immigrants are people who come to a
new land to make their home.
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Native Americans were the first
Americans in the United States.
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Immigrants come to America to make
a better life for themselves.
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Some immigrants come to America
so they are able to worship God
in their own way.
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In 1619, millions of Africans were
brought to America.
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Most Africans never returned to their
homeland when they were freed as slaves.
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Some immigrants come to America
to have land of their own.
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Some immigrants come to America
where there is more food to eat.
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Immigrants have hopes for the future,
this gives them courage to face the long
and difficult journey to America.
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In the 1940's living space for immigrants
was cramped in tenements in New York City.
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During the early 1900's immigrants
did not have enough food
or water on their ship's journey to America.
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During the early 1900's stormy seas
made life miserable on the ship.
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As early as 1700 about eighteen languages
could be heard on the streets
of New York city.
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Between 1892 and 1954 over sixteen million
people passed through Ellis Island.
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In 1780 Ellis Island belong to Samuel Ellis.
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After a sudden fire on June 15, 1897 that
destroyed Ellis Island,
they rebuilt all buildings to be fire prove.
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First class and second class passengers
from the early ships
got better treatment during inspections
then the third class passengers.
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Immigrants who heard about robberies
on the ship carried all their baggage.
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In 1910, 3 out of 4 people living in New York City
were immigrants or children of immigrants.
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Immigrants gathered in groups in the cities
with those of their own customs.
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A rich immigrant family would have
a three room tenement :
living room, kitchen, and bedroom.
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Immigrant families would take in roomers
or boarders to help pay the rent.
A tenement bedroom would have
five to six people in one room.
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Annie Moore was the first Immigrant
to go through Ellis Island.
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Ellis Island was known as
"Heart break Island" ,
because families got split up.
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Immigrants brought to America
new foods and customs.
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Most immigrants that came to America
during the early 1900's had very little money
to start their new life in America.
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When immigrants entered Ellis Island they
went through many tests and questions.
Many different doctors examined the immigrants.
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Most immigrants from the past came to Ameica
by ship,
most modern immigrants come to America
by plane.
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Immigrants that came to America
when they were sick
had to stay at the Ellis Island
hospital until they were well,
to be cleared to enter America.
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Ellis Island opened to immigrants in 1892.
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Ellis Island had a library, weekly movie,
and a kindergarten for immigrants
who had to wait a long time
to be checked at Ellis Island.
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On Ellis Island milk, bananas, and crackers
were offered as a snack
to women and children a few times a day.
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Over 800,000 immigrants legally enter
the United States each year
as lawful permanent residents, refugees,
or others fleeing persecution.
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The leading source countries of
U.S. immigrants today are Mexico,
Vietnam, the Philippines,
and the republics of the former Soviet Union.
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Nearly three-fourths of all new immigrants
intend to reside in California,
New York, Texas, Florida,
New Jersey, and Illinois.
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The first record of human migration
into the Western Hemisphere
dates to the period between 40,000 and 20,000 B.C.
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In 1654, Jewish refugees arrived in New Amsterdam.
They hoped to find religious freedom in America
after fleeing intolerance and violence in Spain.
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In 1755, during the French and Indian Wars,
the British deported French settlers
from Novia Scotia.
About 900 Acadian refugees arrived
in the American colonies.
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Immigrants who had the most expensive tickets
on the ship, first and second class,
were inspected on the ship and if they passed
would get off at the dock.
Only passengers in third class and steerage
would be taken to Ellis Island.
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In 1907 more than one million immigrants came
to the United States.
More immigrants than any other year
to pass through Ellis Island.
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The length of time for an ocean crossing
changed from around 15 weeks
in the middle of the 1700s to
about 15 days by 1840.
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About 30 different languages were spoken by
the staff and officals of Ellis Island.
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More than 20 million immigrants came
to the United States
between 1880 and 1920.
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By 1914 there were 33 buildings
in the Ellis Island complex,
including a chapel, hospital, and laundry.
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Thousands of newly arrived immigrants settle
in New York City every year.
More than 100 different languages are spoken there.
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Early in the 1800s, it was not unusual for
one tenth of the passengers aboard ship
to die during the long ocean voyage.
Often, more than half the passengers were ill.
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In 1954 Ellis Island closes as an immigration center.
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In 1950, the United States population
was about 150 million with 48 states.
In 2000, the United States population
had grown to over 260 million in 50 states.
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In 1972, Ellis Island reopens as a
Museum and tourist attraction.
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There are about 19,000 employees
in the United States Customs Agency
at 300 ports of entry.
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The United States goverment will give away
55,000 "Green Cards" in October of 2001.
A green card allows an immigrant a permanent work visa without restrictions.
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