"GIVE ME . . .YOUR HUDDLED MASSES YEARNING TO BREATHE FREE . . ."

Hope. That's what a new life in America meant for millions of immigrants. They came to escape the poverty, overcrowding, and persecution of their homelands. Thousands huddled together on the long trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Their first stop was Ellis Island, a center that processed more than 16 million people between 1892 and 1954. Here they were tested to see if they were fit to become citizens. It was here that some dreams were dashed to pieces. Would the immigrants be turned down and forced to return to Europe—or would they be permitted to enter the land of opportunity?

From the Weekly Reader edition