Immigration

Nathan Nussenbaum was one of more than 23 million immigrants who arrived in the United States between 1880 and 1920. The entire population of the United States in 1880 was about 50 million, so this meant there was one new immigrant for every two people already in the country!

Ellis Island

Immigrants often spent an entire day waiting in the long lines at Ellis Island. Once the examinations were over, they took a ferry back to New York City. Now they could begin their new lives in the United States.

Angel Island

For immigrants from China in the early 1900's, the first stop was Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. At that time, a law limited the number of Chinese immigrants who could enter the United States.

Immigration and Diversity

From the 1880's through the 1920's, more immigrants arrived in the United States than at any other time in American history. Immigrants knew that life in a new country would be difficult. But they also knew that the United States offered freedoms and opportunities that they would not have found anywhere else in the world.