During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, large numbers of people from northern and western Europe traveled in overcrowded ships to immigrate to the United States. They arrived to escape famine and religious discrimination, to buy farmland and cash in on the Gold Rush. This period also saw the beginning of immigration restrictions, starting with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

Although Ellis Island had been open since 1892, arrivals at the immigration station reached a peak at the turn of the century. From 1900 to 1915, more than 15 million immigrants came to the United States, with an increasing number from non-English speaking countries.

It has been estimated that close to 40 percent of current U.S. citizens can trace at least one ancestor to Ellis island.

A massive wave of immigrants came from Ireland, where a potato blight had contributed to widespread famine in the mid-19th century. Foreigners from southern and eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Greece, left their homelands to escape political and economic oppression. People of Jewish descent fled antisemitism in czarist Russia, while poverty drove many Italians to seek better lives in America. Non-Europeans from Syria, Turkey and Armenia were also entering the United States in high numbers, seeking economic opportunity.

During the late 19th and early 20th century, large groups of people from northern and western Europe immigrated to the United States, like this Slavic woman. An Ellis Island Chief Registry Clerk, Augustus Sherman, captured his unique viewpoint of the influx by bringing his camera to work and taking photos of the wide array of immigrants entering from 1905 to 1914.

Although Ellis Island had been open since 1892, the immigration station reached its peak at the turn of the century. From 1900-1915 more than 15 million immigrants arrived in the United States, with an increasing number coming from non-English speaking countries, like this Romanian musician.

Foreigners from southern and eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Greece, came over to escape political and economic oppression.

Many immigrants, including this Algerian man, wore their finest traditional clothing as they entered the country.

Greek-Orthodox priest Rev. Joseph Vasilon.

Wilhelm Schleich, a miner from Hohenpeissenberg, Bavaria.

This woman arrived from the west coast of Norway.

Three women from Guadeloupe stand outside the immigration station.

A mother and her two daughters from the Netherlands pose for a photo.

Thumbu Sammy, age 17, arrived from India.

This tattooed German man got to the country as a stowaway and was eventually deported.Read more: When Germans Were Americas Undesirables

John Postantzis was a Turkish bank guard..

Peter Meyer, age 57, arrived from Denmark.

An Italian immigrant woman, photographed at Ellis Island.

A soldier from Albania poses for the camera.

This man had worked as shepherd in Romania.

Three boys in traditional Scottish clothing pose at Ellis Island.

Russian Cossacks as they entered the United States to start new lives.

1 / 20: Augustus Sherman/New York Public Library

Augustus Sherman, an Ellis Island Chief Registry Clerk and amateur photographer, captured his unique view on the immigration influx by bringing his camera to work. Sherman's photos showcase the wide array of cultures represented in the people who passed through the station's doors from 1905 to 1914.

The onset of World War I in 1914 eventually slowed the flow of immigrants into the country and foreigners increasingly became targets of suspicion. In the 1920s, legislation set further limits on immigration, including a quota system that restricted entry to 2 percent of the total number of people of each nationality in America. By 1954, Ellis Island, the starting point for millions of immigrants who would contribute to a diverse nation, would finally close its doors.

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How the Immigration Act of 1965 Changed the Face of America

The act put an end to long‑standing national‑origin quotas that favored those from northern and western Europe.

Meet the First and Last Immigrants Who Passed Through Ellis Island

For much of its early history, a three‑acre spit of sand situated in New York Harbor just south of Manhattan was known for little more than its abundant oyster beds. Dubbed Little Oyster Island, it would eventually be expanded to nine times its original size, take on a new name after its 18th century owner […]

America’s First Immigration Law Tried (and Failed) to Deal With Nightmarish Sea Journeys

How the Immigration Act of 1965 Changed the Face of America

Meet the First and Last Immigrants Who Passed Through Ellis Island

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