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Hear a Discussion About the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and the History of the United States' Immigrants

Hear a Discussion About the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and the History of the United States' Immigrants

A discussion of the United States' immigrant past, from the documentary Face of America: Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
Great Museums Television (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
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Related Articles: Ellis Island

News •

Today in History: Ellis Island officially closed • Nov. 12, 2026, 4:30 AM ET (Chicago Tribune)

Transcript

[Music in]

NARRATOR: This was the dream.

This was the reality. Ellis Island was gateway and getaway. Millions of American lives began here or began again here. More than 100 million citizens of the United States can trace their ancestry to an immigrant who landed at Ellis Island.

STEVE BRIGANTI: What brave pioneers they were. What it must have been like for them. I don't think if you've got Ellis Island ancestry, you go out there and not hear the voices of these people as they arrived to find a new life for themselves.

NARRATOR: Many museums display history. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is history.

[Music out]
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