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Immigration through Angel Island
A photograph of immigrants arriving at Angel Island, 1939.

A photograph of immigrants arriving at Angel Island, 1939.

In this photograph, a group of immigrants arrives at Angel Island, disembarking from a ferry boat. Most immigrants from Asia endured a roughly three-week journey across the Pacific Ocean. Upon arriving in San Francisco, immigration officials came on board to inspect passengers’ papers. Anyone who required further review—usually based on nationality or medical condition—were then ferried to Angel Island. Upon arrival, immigrants were separated and housed by nationality and gender, though children under age twelve were allowed to stay with their mothers.

Citation Information
Department of the Treasury, Public Health Service, “Photograph of Immigrants Arriving at the Immigration Station on Angel Island,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/0e5d179427c087217f72e40de07f9b6b.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 4 of 15 in the Primary Source Set Immigration through Angel Island

Previous ItemNext Item
A 1901 letter from a Los Angeles banker asking US Secretary of State John Hay to reconsider a portion of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
A letter from a Sing Fat & Company executive asking immigration officials to cancel sponsorship for two employees, 1905.
An excerpt from Angel Island: The Ellis Island of the West by Mary Bamford, 1917.
A photograph of immigrants arriving at Angel Island, 1939.
A photograph of young immigrants standing outside Angel Island’s hospital, 1923.
A photograph of an Angel Island dormitory room as it looked when the immigration station was in use, 2003.
A photograph of immigration officials interviewing an Angel Island detainee, 1923.
A photograph of a missionary conducting an English lesson for a group of immigrant women, 1933.
A photograph of a Chinese poem carved into an Angel Island dormitory wall by a detainee.
A photograph of the Lee family, including their “paper son,” in San Francisco, ca. 1920.
A photograph of the Angel Island administration building soon before the station’s closure, 1930s.
A photograph of the Angel Island administration building on fire, August 12, 1940.
A photograph of a note left by a Japanese prisoner of war held at Angel Island during World War II.
A poster advertising a San Francisco art gallery’s exhibition about the Chinese experience at Angel Island, 1976.
A photograph of a former Angel Island detainee returning with his family, 2003.

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