Class Description
An estimated 40 percent of Americans descend from immigrants that arrived at Ellis Island and multitudes of Chicagoans lay claim to Ellis as their ancestor’s point of entry into the United States. Ellis Island: The Immigrant Experience draws on the recognition of the iconic island as seen through the lens of the immigration process on the island. Using architectural renderings, government data and ship manifests from Ellis Island’s archive, this class is designed for anyone with an interest in U.S. history to those seeking to use Ellis Island records as a resource for genealogical purposes. Bill Cellini, Jr. has 30 years of experience working with and interpreting Ellis Island manifests for genealogical use.
Bill Cellini Jr. has over 30 years of experience studying the history and patterns of Italian immigration in the United States. Cellini has taught social history courses at the Newberry Library in Chicago, the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, and at other educational institutions. He holds a BA in American History from Illinois College.
What to Expect
Format: In Person
Class Capacity: 18
Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged
Materials List
No Required Materials
Cost and Registration
1 Session, $100 ($90 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($100), Community Supported ($95), and Sponsor ($105). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
Having trouble signing up? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to registration by clicking here.
RegisterThe views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.
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