Fourth Grade
Worksheets
Passing the Tests at Ellis Island
Many of the immigrants who came to America were greeted by the magnificent Statue of Liberty holding her torch high above New York Harbor. She symbolized their hopes and dreams. Immigrants felt joy, relief, fear, and excitement as they realized that their long ocean trip was over. They were also scared of what would happen on Ellis Island.
Ellis Island was the immigration center in New York Harbor. At least 12 million people passed through Ellis Island on their way to America. All of them had to be examined by legal inspectors and doctors. These tests determined whether they could enter the United States right away. Some people were detained on the island for different reasons. And others had the worst news of all if they did not pass the tests: they had to go back home.
Legal inspectors questioned the immigrants. They asked each person between twenty and thirty questions. They wanted to know where the immigrants were from and where they were going. After 1917, a literacy test was added. Inspectors checked to see whether immigrants sixteen years or older could read thirty or so words in their own language.
