Slide 1: When immigrants first came to America they entered the New York Harbor by steam ships and from there they took a ferry just as we did to Ellis Island. Here you can see the ferry leaving New York Harbor.

Slide 2: On the way to Ellis Island the immigrants saw all the same things we can see today such as the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline.

Slide 3: Here is Ellis Island.

Slide 4: When the immigrants arrived at Ellis Island they had to often carry their health certificate in their mouths because their hands were full of luggage.

Slide 5: Arrival was the most confusing and hectic time for the immigrants.

Slide 6: Upon arrival to Ellis Island the Immigrants were told to drop all of their baggage and go straight to the Registry Room with only their health certificates in their hands. They had to simply hope they would be able to find their luggage when they were done with the immigration process.

Slide 7: When they entered the large registry room, which still stands today, the immigrants had to line up behind each of the podiums to be checked in.

Slide 8: Here is one of the podiums they used.

Slide 9: Once they were checked in the immigrants went for a medical inspection. The doctors had only a few seconds per person to check the immigrants were not bringing in any new diseases.

Slide 10: If the doctors noticed anything wrong with the immigrants they made different marks with chalk on their back. Here are some of the symbols they used.

Slide 11: We went through every room the immigrants had to go through.

Slide 12: This is the medical inspection room. For those that were marked they had to come to this room. They came for either physical or mental exams. Those that did not pass were sent to the hospital for observation or care until they recovered. Incurable immigrants were sent home and 9 out of 100 were sent for mental testing.

Slide 13: In mental testing they were asked to do things such as drawing a diamond and finding the happy faces among numerous face expressions.

Slide 14: Next was the legal inspection room. They were asked a series of questions. They were given literacy tests, immigrants 16 or over had to read a 40 word passage in their native language. Single women and children were detained until a relative could claim them. Engaged couples were married on the spot. If they could not pass the legal inspection they were detained for the hearing in the court room.

Slide 15: Here is where the hearings were held.

Slide 16: Here is an example of a 40 word passage in Polish which they had to read.

Slide 17: Free to land is when they left on barges and ferries to the main land. They were given time to exchange their money for American money as well as buy food for their trip to their new hometown. Very often the immigrants lost money during this money exchange but they knew little English and things about American money so they did not say anything about it.

Slide 18: Here is a picture of the people lining up to exchange their money and buy railroad tickets. To the right is a picture of all the different money for different countries.

Slide 19: Finally many immigrants had to find jobs. Most immigrants tended to take the factory and mining jobs as opposed to the natives who held jobs such as teachers and layers. As you can see here the different wages people were paid per year.

Slide 20: There is also a museum at Ellis Island which mainly showed all of the different places around the world that immigrants came to America from. This picture showed faces of numerous people that immigrated to American from one angle. If you moved to your left you would see a picture of the American flag showing that even though we all came from different places we are now part of one America.

Slide 21: There a computer where you could type in your heritage and see how many people of your heritage live in each state of America.

Slide 22: This was model of the seven major areas in which immigrants came from between 1820 and 2000. The seven major areas were Africa, Americas, Asia, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Central Europe, and NW Europe. NW Europe began in the early 19^th century with the most immigrants and Then Americas finished the trend in 2000.

Slide 23: Finally outside was a wall containing over 600,000 names.

Slide 24: The wall was made to honor immigrants who came to America.