Ellis Island: The Journey To Immigrants

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Have you ever worried about having a home to call your own? Have you ever thought about leaving everything you know to find that home? For over 60 years in the late 1800s into the 1900s, 12 million immigrants landed on Ellis Island in the United States. A statue on that island reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”, by Emma Lazarus. Ellis Island served as the first step toward a better life for many immigrants. People had many reasons to embark on this journey. They mainly left their homeland because of war, drought, famine, and religious persecution. For example, Jewish people escaped Russia and Eastern Europe for political and economic reasons. Italians left their homeland to escape poverty. Others left Ireland, Germany, Britain, and Scandinavia all with dreams to start a new life. …show more content…

Their voyage would, on average, last one to two weeks. First and second class passengers would stay on the upper decks of the boat. Third class passengers would stay in the lower deck of the boat called the steerage. The conditions in the steerage were poor and over-populated. As many as 3000 people were on each boat. It was a difficult journey. In 1892, Ellis Island became an immigration station and was the first stop upon arrival in the United States. It became known as a symbol of freedom and opportunity for those looking for a better life. After the hardships of leaving their country and a dangerous voyage across the ocean, their journey was not over yet. There was a lot of chaos when the ferry boats docked on Ellis Island. Uniformed officers greeted the immigrants as the left the ferry boats. The officers would assign each person a ticket with a number on

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