NYC - Ellis Island
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
The boat ride to Ellis Island, was a moving experence. I thought about my ancestors, leaving the country of their comfort for a better life in American. I had family from Germany, Ireland, and Sweden take the voyage.
They say roughly 40 percent of all Americans owe their citizenship to a relative who walked on American shores for the first time at Ellis Island. From the 1890s to the 1950s, millions of immigrants, mainly from Europe, bet everything they had at Ellis Island.
Located just north of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island now houses a museum and exhibits that tell the stories of some of the millions that were granted citizenship.
For those who sailed from the Old World for a better life in the United States, entry into the country wasn’t guaranteed. Immigration inspectors and doctors examined each potential new citizen before allowing them into America. After arriving in Ellis Island, everyone entered the lower level…left their worldly belongs (trunks, suitcases, and other items) in one area at the entrance…then proceeded up stairs for processing.
Then they made their way to the upper floor known as ‘The Registery Room”
…An orginal bench in the Registry Room…
…Signs for a better tomorrow…could you work for these wages…
The ‘Stairs of Separation’…and the story…
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