Like most Americans, I am the descendant of immigrants. In 1936, my grandmother, Jean Rizzi, boarded a towering ship bound for America. At 8 years old, she didn’t understand why she was leaving her home near Naples, Italy. But she knew that her father was waiting for her and the rest of her family on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. She clutched her mother’s hand and took her first steps toward a new life.
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Immigrants on Ellis Island look at the New York City skyline in 1925. About 40% of all Americans can trace their roots to Ellis Island. (Source: National Park Service)
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Welcome to America
A Scholastic News editor shares the story of her grandmother’s journey to Ellis Island.
Into the Unknown
Courtesy of Nicole Tocco
Jean Rizzi as a baby in 1928 with her mother and siblings in Italy
My great-grandfather had already immigrated to New York City. Like countless others, he came hoping to find prosperity for himself and his family. He got a job working at a construction company. Once he had saved enough money, he sent for his wife and three kids to join him. My grandmother didn’t know what to expect. She had grown up on a small farm and had never traveled very far from home.
“I was nervous,” she told me years later. “But I was also excited about getting to see my new home in the big city.”
For nearly two weeks, they were at sea with no land in sight. They packed into one tiny room on one of the ship’s lower decks.
“I couldn’t wait to get off that boat,” my grandmother recalled.
First Stop
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Ellis Island
On December 3, 1936, the ship sailed past the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. My grandmother thought the journey was over. For passengers who could afford first- and second-class tickets, it was. After a short medical exam, they were free to enter New York City. But the poorer third-class passengers, like my family, were ferried to Ellis Island.
The U.S. immigration station there opened in 1892. Ellis Island became known as the gateway to America. More than 12 million immigrants, mostly from Europe, passed through its doors. About 98 percent of them were admitted into the U.S.
Passing the Test
Once my relatives arrived at Ellis Island, they were given a medical exam by doctors. This was one of the most dreaded steps for newcomers to the U.S. Anyone found to be too sick or too weak to work could be sent home.
Next, they stood in line, waiting for officials to process their paperwork. My great-grandmother answered a few simple questions, such as where she was from and how much money she was carrying. After a few hours, they were reunited with my great-grandfather, who took them to their new home in Queens, New York.
A Symbol of Hope
Courtesy of Nicole Tocco
Scholastic News editor Nicole Tocco with her grandmother in 2016
The immigration station on Ellis Island closed in 1954. The island is now a national monument, and the building where my grandmother waited in line is a museum. Millions visit each year to trace their family history. To immigrants like my grandmother, the island has always been a symbol of freedom and the American dream.
“To us, Ellis Island meant we had made it to America, our new home,” she told me.
1. What is the section “Into the Unknown” mostly about?
2. What happened once Jean Rizzi’s family arrived at Ellis Island?
3. How did Jean Rizzi feel when she saw the Statue of Liberty?
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