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The first immigrant
Annie moore 15 years old irish girl -
Moving to ellis island
First and second-class passengers could enter the country after a brief inspection, but third-class passengers had to take a ferry to Ellis Island for further processing. Here they had to undergo a quick medical check-up in the Great Hall and answer 29 questions. Of the 12 million people who passed through its doors, only 2% were denied entry to the USA for reasons including disease, insanity and having a criminal background. -
New migrations
When Ellis Island opened, immigration to the USA was changing. While during the 19 century immigrants mostly came from Ireland, Germany and the Scandinavian countries, by the end of the century more and more people were arriving from southern and eastern Europe. These included Jews escaping from political and economic oppression in Russia and eastern Europe and Italians escaping poverty in their country, but also Hungarians, Poles, Czechs, Serbs, Greeks, Turks, Arabs and Armenians. -
Ellis island closing
In 1954 the US government finally closed down the immigration inspection port at Ellis Island. Following some major restoration work. -
Tourism
After two decades of disuse, it opened up for tours. the island today stands as a symbol of America's immigrant heritage that attracts over 2 million visitors a year.