Read Works
Read Works: Coming to America: Ellis Island and New York City
[Free Registration/Login Required] This full text is borrowed from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and provides information about the history of Ellis Island and the first person account of the immigration experience....
The History Cat
The History Cat: Ellis Island
Tells the story of Ellis Island, the first stop for immigrants arriving in New York City beginning in 1890. Describes the process would-be immigrants to America had to go through before being allowed to board a trans-Atlantic ship, the...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Ellis Island: Colonial and Early American New York 1609 1890
Provides an overview of the history of New York and of how the United States government came to acquire Ellis Island. Fort Gibson was built there prior to the War of 1812 to serve as a strategic post in case of attack.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Ellis Island: Oyster Island
Before Ellis Island was an immigrant processing center, it was visited by Algonquin peoples to harvest the oyster beds, hence the name 'Oyster Island' which was given to it by the Dutch. Two other islands in the same area were also...
A&E Television
History.com: Why the Statue of Liberty Almost Didn't Get Built
Although France paid for the statue, the US had to pay for the pedestal. When the Statue of Liberty arrived (in pieces) in New York Harbor on June of 1885, the pedestal was still under construction, and fundraisers were still collecting...