Destination America: Our Hope, Our Future
Compare Ellis Island immigrants to Angel Island immigrants using the T-Chart below.

	Ellis Island	Angel Island
Where are the immigrants from?	Mostly European countries (Italy, Poland, Ireland, England)	Mostly from Asian countries (China, Japan, Korea, India, Philippines)
Where is the island located?	East coast – across the Atlantic Ocean in New York Harbor West coast	West Coast –– across the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco Bay
Reasons immigrants came to America:	Religious and political persecution, crop famine, loss of jobs, overpopulation, free expression, personal opportunity and government incentives in America	Poverty, limited job opportunities in homeland, war, high taxes, the hope to have a better life in America
Nickname:	Gateway to America	Guardian of the Western Gate
When was island open for immigrants?	Opened for immigrants between 1892 to 1924	Immigrants and emigrants between 1910 and 1940
Why were the islands built?	To regulate immigration into America – a stopping point to America	Designed to control the flow of Chinese immigrants with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Process and detain Chinese and other Asian immigrants.
How many people passed through the gates?	Over 22 million immigrants passed through the doors to American through Ellis Island	Estimated 1 million people entered and left the country. 175,000 Chinese150,000 Japanese
What did the immigrants have to do when they got there?	Medical examinations and full physicals for everyone by 1917. If a problem was curable, they were sent to the island hospital. If not, they were sent back home.	Humiliating and barbaric medical examinations performed. Interrogation sessions took place.
What were the conditions like?	The Statue of Liberty greeted the immigrants and welcomed them to America. The conditions were crowded.	Harsh prison-like conditions while awaiting the demanding hearing process to prove their status as legal immigrants
How long did they stay?	Process took 3-5 hour with the interviews. Some stayed for months waiting for family members or other reasons.	Some stayed over night, while others stayed for months. Chinese immigrants stayed an average of 2-3 weeks. While waiting for their immigration status, many of the immigrants etched poems of depression and fear on the walls of the barracks.
How were they granted permission to stay?	Prove they could be in America legally. Prove their country of origin, where they expected to live and work in America. Anyone with a criminal record or suspected of being an indentured servant was rejected. By 1921 a literacy test had to be passed and a passport or visa had to be shown. Had to have at least 20 dollars to be allowed to enter America. Their money was exchanged on the island.	Prove their identity by matching details of their lives with the answers of their relative in the United States. Often had to wait months while their case was being investigated.