The ferry, S.S. Miss Liberty, transports you across the sluggish (and sludgy) waters of New York Harbor to the emerald isle of liberty. The Statue of Liberty looms over the harbor, a gigantic green symbol of baseball, white bread, apple pie, and freedom. Walking up to the base of the statue, along brick paths between emerald lawns, you can feel true patriotism swelling in your breast. This single monument represents the freedom of speech, the freedom to vote for representative government, the freedom to . . . wait on line?!

At the foot of the Statue of Liberty lies a veritable army of tourists waiting to ascend through her nether regions to . . . I’m not sure what. The only thing awaiting them at the top is a view of Manhattan. Admittedly, there do seem to be quite a few people willing to walk up ten flights of stairs at the pace of a wounded llama in order to see the view, but we certainly don’t understand. Once you’ve been “liberated” from the seemingly endless lines, you have the “liberty” of wandering

around the well-manicured grounds. There really is nothing like ambling through a park better groomed than a prize cocker spaniel, listening to the melodious sounds of screaming tourists. This is why, as soon as possible, you should find yourself once again on the ferry, this time moving towards another symbol of hope, though also of oppression and despair: Ellis Island.

Ellis Island, as you probably know, is the famous immigration depot where thousands upon thousands of starving, desperate people waited anxiously to find out whether they would be allowed into the United States. The enormous building that housed all the waiting and examination rooms has been converted into a museum for your educational pleasure. The ground floor has a number of entertaining exhibits about immigration patterns. Generally geared to children, these exhibits have some fascinating flashing lights, lots of bright colors, and a modicum of educational interest. Come here last.

The second floor contains the most impressive room in the building, the Great Hall. Stepping into it is like stepping into… a really big room. But it is REALLY big! It is fascinating (and terrifying) to imagine the hall filled with thousands of people, lined up throughout, waiting, and waiting, and waiting… (If you have indeed tried this at the Statue of Liberty, you know what they must have gone through.) The exhibits on the second floor are mostly concerned with immigration: how individual people got here, what they did once they were here, and what everybody else thought of them.

Looking at this exhibit, in the place where these things really went on and where these people really walked is a touching experience. There are quotes from many immigrants on the wall, which should prove immensely useful to you in writing your paper. (Quote an actual immigrant and it sounds as if you did your research in a time machine—very impressive.) Also, make sure to look at all the documents they have around. You can do all kinds of good things with a primary source (like get an A, for example).

After looking through the second floor (and make sure that you do if you’re writing a paper on anything that has anything to do with immigration, western migration, the Industrial Revolution, etc.), move on up to the third floor. There, you will see many articles belonging to individual immigrants. Most interesting among these are the clothing these people wore and some of the things they picked up on the way to America. For example, an Italian immigrant showed up with a Southeast Asian instrument that he had learned to play in a holding area in the Caribbean. While these exhibits are in many ways more exciting than the ones on the second floor, however, they are also less useful.

On the way out, you can go through all the examination rooms. They’re interesting, but only really useful to your paper if you’re writing specifically on the topic of immigration. On the other hand, if you are . . . never mind. Go through these rooms! When you’re done with the museum, which takes a pretty long time, you must get back on line and take the ferry to Manhattan.

On the way back, while the wind plays with your hair and the sun shines on your back (we did this in summer—if you’re doing it in winter, then change the above to “while you huddle together with your friends for warmth”), try to reflect on what the Statue of Liberty means to all those people who were waiting on line to climb up to the top of her. We are a nation of immigrants, with so many of us (or our forebears) coming to this country to seek freedom. And while we may not have expected (or maybe we did) to find that freedom embodied in a gigantic green woman, the lines to climb into her belly no longer seem as long and tortuous once you understand what so many of our forefathers and -mothers went through to reach her.