Ellis Island and Immigration Ellis island was a United States reception center for immigrants for more than 60 years. It is located in New York Harbor, less than 1/2 mile north of Liberty Island, the home of the Statue of Liberty. Over 12 million people first entered the United States through Ellis Island. The island is named for Samuel Ellis, a merchant and farmer who owned it during the late 1700's. The United States government bought the island …showed first 75 words of 523 total…

…showed last 75 words of 523 total…lived in tenements in ghettos in new york. Certain minorities lived in certain neighborhoods lived in complete poverty. They either had a poor apartment in the city or a house in the slums. Mostly people worked in dry cleaners, news stands, grocery stores, machine shops, and factories. Children got thieer education after they came to America, but the adults still received no education and eventually had less opportunity. Jews and Asians were persecuted the most.