By Alec S.


Immigration is when you leave the country which you are from and move and settle in another one. In this gallery you will see some amazing artifacts from our ancestors who lived a long time ago. There are artifacts such as a passport and immigration documents. The gallery also contains an International Red Cross Passport which is very rare and a ticket for passage on a ship.

Some people left to start a new life in America because they were trying to escape persecution and others came to earn a living here. Conditions were difficult in the old country and America was a "land of opportunity." When most people entered from another country they went through Ellis Island. At Ellis Island officials checked to see if the immigrants were healthy. They needed to make sure that people didn't bring in diseases from foreign countries. If the person was safe and healthy and had a contact or sponsor in this country, he/she was officially allowed to come into the United States. Sometimes immigrants' names were changed, especially if the original name was difficult to pronounce or to spell.