This week I explored a virtual field trip to Ellis Island. Ellis Island is where immigrants went to escape poverty and religious intolerance. Ellis Island was the first stop for millions of immigrants when they first arrived in America. The interactive tour takes you to ten of the most important stops at Ellis Island.

The first stop of the tour is the passage. This part explains all of the trouble that immigrants had to go through before even arriving in America. Many immigrants came to America by horseback, train, boat, and even by foot. It also talks about the voyage across the ocean to America. Immigrants were divided on the boat by wealth. Most immigrants were put into steerage. Steerage was the section at the bottom of the boat. The tour goes on to explain other important places in Ellis Island. The sixth stop of the tour is the medical exam. This is where many immigrants got denied access to America. This is where doctors made sure all the people entering the country were well. If you were considered a risk to public health you were kept for further examination. This stop of the tour really stood out for me. It stood out to me because I couldn’t imagine the disappointment the sick people felt. Imagine coming all the way to America and being so close to freedom and then having to return home because of illness. I really have sympathy for any immigrant that had to go through that.

Using the interactive tour to explore Ellis Island was fun and interesting. You can explore it through a tour guide. You can also explore it by watching a video that takes you through a virtual field trip. It was definitely a fun and interactive way to learn more about Ellis Island. Use this link to explore the website!