Though the complex history of U.S. immigration encompasses many successive waves and arrivals from all over the world, there are few places as central to the story as Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor.
After arriving on steamships, nearly 12 million men, women, and children passed through the immigration processing center at Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954, though the function of Ellis Island changed dramatically in the 1920s, as strict quotas were enacted to limit immigration. For the last few decades of its operational existence, Ellis Island served as a detention center.
Nevertheless, according to the National Park Service, approximately 40% of Americans alive today can trace their ancestry to at least one person who first entered the country via Ellis Island.
Ellis Island’s capacity peaked in 1907 when 1.2 million people passed through the facility en route to new lives in America. Demand for immigrant labor in U.S. factories, coupled with economic, political, and religious turmoil in Europe, contributed to Ellis Island's record year. The month of April saw over 250,000 immigrants arrive aboard 197 ships. The busiest day in Ellis Island's history occurred on April 17, 1907, when 11,747 people were processed, far exceeding the daily average of roughly 5,000.
More about immigration through Ellis Island:
- The first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island was Annie Moore, on the first day of the center’s opening, January 1, 1892. The Irish teenager was traveling with her younger brothers to meet their parents, who had arrived in New York four years earlier. Statues of Annie Moore are found in Cobh, Ireland, her port of departure, and Ellis Island.
- Even at its busiest, processing and inspection on Ellis Island typically lasted around three hours. Contrary to popular belief, many interpreters were employed to ease the communication process. Approximately 98% of new arrivals were allowed to enter the country, unless they appeared to have a contagious illness deemed a threat to public health, were considered a political troublemaker, or seemed likely to become a burden on the state.
- Ellis Island reopened as a museum in September 1990. The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration is part of Statue of Liberty National Monument, administered by the National Park Service.
