A gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States, Ellis Island makes for an evocative and educational location for law and history students on study tours concerned with New York's history €" and the history America was founded on. As the nation's busiest, and certainly the most iconic, immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954, Ellis Island was incorporated into the Statue of Liberty National monument in 1965 as recognition for the role it played in the birth of the nation. It has included a museum of immigration since 1990 €" a valuable resource for students interested in discovering more about the cultural fabric that makes up the country.
The Immigrant Experience
After the facility first opened, it was struck with a deluge of aspiring immigrants almost immediately. While numbers were astonishingly high across the board, the peak year came in 1907, when a staggering 11,747 people arrived at Ellis Island during the course of the year. Students arriving on study tours may be surprised to learn that it is estimated that a third of the country's current population (over 100 million Americans) can trace their ancestry back to those who arrived at Ellis Island before moving on to places all over the country, looking to build a new life for themselves.
The actual experience an immigrant faced could be varied €" although there was a system in place to deal with prospective new citizens, students on study tours might not be so surprised to learn that, given the huge volume of applicants, circumstances could often be a little chaotic. In general, immigrants would spend two to five hours on Ellis Island, answering the 29 standard immigration questions. One of those was how much money the prospective candidate had on their person €" ideally between 18 and 25 dollars, a sum more substantial in 1892 than today €" as it was important for the American Government to ensure that the people they accepted could support themselves. If a prospective immigrant had a visible or chronic health problem, it was often the case that they were sent home, or held in the island's hospital facilities.
A Broad Perspective
For students, Ellis Island can be an insight back into the legal and social issues that surrounded the birth of modern America and its international relations. Study tours on Ellis Island often feature information valuable to many different disciplines and subjects €" but more importantly, it can give students a taste of just how it felt to be an immigrant to the fledgling USA at its inception.
The Immigrant Experience
After the facility first opened, it was struck with a deluge of aspiring immigrants almost immediately. While numbers were astonishingly high across the board, the peak year came in 1907, when a staggering 11,747 people arrived at Ellis Island during the course of the year. Students arriving on study tours may be surprised to learn that it is estimated that a third of the country's current population (over 100 million Americans) can trace their ancestry back to those who arrived at Ellis Island before moving on to places all over the country, looking to build a new life for themselves.
The actual experience an immigrant faced could be varied €" although there was a system in place to deal with prospective new citizens, students on study tours might not be so surprised to learn that, given the huge volume of applicants, circumstances could often be a little chaotic. In general, immigrants would spend two to five hours on Ellis Island, answering the 29 standard immigration questions. One of those was how much money the prospective candidate had on their person €" ideally between 18 and 25 dollars, a sum more substantial in 1892 than today €" as it was important for the American Government to ensure that the people they accepted could support themselves. If a prospective immigrant had a visible or chronic health problem, it was often the case that they were sent home, or held in the island's hospital facilities.
A Broad Perspective
For students, Ellis Island can be an insight back into the legal and social issues that surrounded the birth of modern America and its international relations. Study tours on Ellis Island often feature information valuable to many different disciplines and subjects €" but more importantly, it can give students a taste of just how it felt to be an immigrant to the fledgling USA at its inception.
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