For hundreds of years, people have left their homes in other countries to move to America to seek a better life. Beginning in 1892, many stopped at Ellis Island, the famous immigration station in New York Harbor. Their journey to America is celebrated there every April 17. That’s the day in 1907 when 12,000 people passed through Ellis Island, the most of any day in its history.

A steamship sails into New York Harbor in 1914 (left); People arriving at Ellis Island had to wear numbered tags (center); The main building at Ellis Island, shown here in 1918 (right)
Voyage to America
Years ago, the first stop in the U.S. for many immigrants was Ellis Island.

Immigrants at Ellis Island in 1902 wait with their luggage.

Ten-year-old Edward Corsi (KOR-see) was one of the

A steamship sails into New York Harbor in 1914.

Many immigrants, like Edward’s family, moved looking for work that would lift them out of
Immigrants who came through Ellis Island were mostly from Europe. Some traveled hundreds of miles from their hometowns to port cities located by seas or rivers. There, people boarded

These boys came from Italy in 1905.
Some immigrants left from places in Western or Northern Europe like Germany, Ireland, or Norway. Others moved from places in Southern and Eastern Europe like Italy, Greece, and Austria-Hungary.
Edward’s family spent two weeks aboard a steamship after leaving the Italian port of Naples. As they approached Ellis Island, they were greeted by the Statue of Liberty.
Edward described how “this symbol of America . . . inspired awe in the hopeful immigrants.”
But their journey was far from over. There was no guarantee that they would be let into America. Immigrants first had to wait in line for hours, waiting for their paperwork to be checked. Doctors then examined them for diseases. Some people were turned away and sent back to their country.
Luckily, Edward and his family made it through. He grew up to become the head of immigration at Ellis Island and continued to help immigrants until he died in 1965.
In the years that Ellis Island was open—from 1892 to 1954—more than 12 million people passed through its doors. They became the
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Think About It!
1. If you were traveling from Germany during this time, which port city on the map might you leave from?
2. Which countries on the map offered the most port cities to leave from?
3. How do you think the large numbers of immigrants at this time might have affected New York City?
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