Immigration: Ellis Island

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Immigration Ellis Island

• By Lauren Jones and Heidi Mott

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What is Ellis Island?
Ellis Island was the gateway through which more
than 12 million immigrants passed between 1892
and 1954 in their search for freedom of speech
and religion, and for economic opportunity in the
United States. In 1664, the British took
possession of the area from the Dutch and named
the island "Gull Island". Not long afterwards,
the name of the island changed to "Gibbet
Island", because men convicted of piracy were
hung there. In the 1770's the island was sold to
Samuel Ellis. The U.S. War Department bought the
island for 10,000 dollars in 1808.
During the war of 1812, Fort Gibson was built on
the island to house prisoners. After the Civil
War, Ellis Island was selected to be the new
immigration processing center to facilitate the
large number of immigrants coming to America. In
1892, Ellis Island opened and for the next fifty
years more than twelve million people came
through the island on their way into the United
States.
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Map of Ellis Island
Stairs of Separation
Entrance
Baggage Area
Great Hall
Medical Exams
Cafeteria
Dormitories
Kissing Post
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Entrance
Entrance
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Baggage Area
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Stairs of Separation
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Medical Exams
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Cafeteria
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Great Hall
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Dormitories
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Kissing Post
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What type of people immigrated to Ellis Island?
Many people immigrated to Ellis Island including

• Irish
• German
• Greek
• Dutch
• Italian
• French
• Europeans
• And Many others

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         Life in Ireland was very cruel.
Emigrating to America was not a good experience
for them. It was referred to as the American Wake
for these people knew they would never see
Ireland again. Those who followed this path did
it only because they knew their future in Ireland
would only be more poverty, disease, and English
oppression. America became their dream. Early
immigrant letters said it was a land of abundance
and urged others to follow them through the
"Golden Door." They left in groups on ships that
were so crowded, with conditions that were
terrible, that they were referred to as Coffin
Ships.
Even as the boat were docking, these immigrants
to America learned that life in America was going
to be a battle for survival. As the poor
immigrants had no way of moving on, they settled
in the docks of arrival. Almshouses were filled
with these Irish immigrants. They begged on every
street. No group was considered lower than an
Irishman in America during the 1850s.
Irish Immigrants
Free land did not attract them. They rejected the
land, yet even though they always spoke
respectfully about the old neighborhood in
Ireland. All major cities had their "Irish Town"
or "Shanty Town" where the Irish clung together.
Our immigrant ancestors were not wanted in
America. Ads for employment often were followed
by "NO IRISH NEED APPLY. So, most Irish couldnt
find a job at the time. They were forced to live
in cellars and shanties, partly because of poor
quality but also because they were considered bad
for the neighborhood. They were unfamiliar with
plumbing and running water. These living
conditions caused sickness and early death.
Years later, Irish-Americans had moved from the
position of the despised to the loved and wanted.
 
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Italian Immigrants
From 1876 to 1924, more than four and a half
million Italians arrived in the United States. A
vast majority of the immigrants came from
southern Italy, who left to escape the economic
hardship and broken conditions of their homeland.
Most of these immigrants passed through New
Yorks Ellis Island and settled in New York City
itself and other large urban centers.
In New York City, a simple 1,862 Italian
immigrants had made homes, but by the time of the
great migration, the city was to become the home
to millions of Italians. The Italians had thought
this after coming to the United States He who
leaves succeeds.
Italians have been involved with America since
the territory's exploration, the great
immigration of the Italians to America has left a
strong mark in the nation's history. The Italians
brought several cultural customs and values with
their migration from their homeland.
The Experience of landing in New York varied
greatly from immigrant to immigrant, depending on
the time, and conditions. Some Italians had said,
"My first impression when I got there, I tell you
the God's truth, you're in a dream. Its like
you're in heaven, you don't know what it is.
You're so happy there in America. Coming to
America changed peoples lives for better and
worse.
Until 1900, when Ellis Island was opened, Castle
Garden was the door for immigrants entering the
US. Italians , as all immigrants went through
physical examination, and difficult interviews.
At Ellis Island the immigrants were examined for
signs of diseases, and then vaccinated. People
had thought and said that if you wiped off the
skin immediately after the vaccination, you would
not get sick. This was true , and worked because
the vaccine would not take if it was wiped off,
therefore the immigrant would not get sick.
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Immigrants Test
Immigrants were asked many questions which would
decide if they would be admitted or not.

• Questions to the Immigrants
• Do you have any money?
• Do you already have a job?
• Do you have a place to stay?
• Where does your family live?
• Are you married?
• How old are you?
• What job skills do you have?
• Have you been in America previously?
• Can you read?

Those who did not pass the tests at the
Immigration office were sent back home. Those who
passed the test were allowed to pass into
America.
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The Immigrant Experience
When the great steamships of the early 20th
century sailed into New York Harbor, the faces of
a thousand nations were on board. A broad,
beaming, multicolored parade, these were the
immigrants of the world there were Russian Jews,
Irish farmers whose hands were weathered like the
land they had left, Greeks in kilts and slippers,
Italians, Cossacks with fierce swords, English in
short knickers, and Arabs in long robes. The old
world lay behind them. Ahead was a new life, huge
and promising. Gone were the monarchies and
kings, the systems of caste and peasantry, of
famine and numbing poverty.
But also left behind were friends and family, as
well as tradition and customs generations old.
Click to Continue
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The Immigration Experience
(Continued)
Poet Walt Whitman described New York as the "City
of the World (for all of races are here, all the
lands of the earth make contributions here) City
of the sea! City of hurried and glittering tides!
City whose gleeful tides continually rush and
recede, whirling in and out with eddies and foam!
City of wharves and stores-city of tall facades
of marble and iron! Proud and passionate
city-mettlesome, mad, extravagant, city!"
Men usually emigrated first, to find jobs and
housing. Later they would
send for their wives,
children, and parents as part of the largest mass
movement of people in world history. In all,
close to 60 million people wanted to find new
opportunities during the 19th and early 20th
centuries. The majority of people headed to the
United States where they heard promise of jobs,
freedom, and a fortune to be made. In the hundred
years previous to 1924, when the country's
open-door unexpectedly shut, 34 million
immigrants landed on America's soil. The earliest
influx of new arrivals started in the mid 1840s
when Europe felt the throes of a bitter famine. A
lot of people were starving where they lived.
Along with fleeing the trouble of high taxes,
poverty, and overpopulation, these "new"
immigrants were also victims of oppression and
religious persecution. Similarly, the Poles in
Germany, and the Irish persecuted under English
rule all saw America as a land of freedom, as
well as opportunity.
Click to watch a video about someone's experience
as an immigrant.
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Reasons For Immigration

•   1607-1830
• Political Freedom
• Religious Tolerance
• Economic Opportunity - People want a better life
  - better job - more money
• Political Refugees fear for their lives
• Some want free atmosphere
• Forced Immigration (Slavery)
• Family Reunification
• There are two types of motivation for immigration
• Push (need to leave in order to survive)
• Pull (attracted to new way of life)
•   1830-1890
• The reason for immigration in the period from
  1830-1890 is quite clear. Land remained
  plentiful, and fairly cheap. Jobs were abundant,
  and labor was scarce and relatively dear. A
  decline in the birthrate as well as an increase
  in industry and urbanization reinforced this
  situation.
• The United States, in the 19th Century, remained
  a strong magnet to immigrants, with offers of
  jobs and land for farms. Glowing reports from
  earlier arrivals who made good reinforced the
  notion that in America, the streets were, "paved
  with gold," as well as offerings of religious and
  political freedom.  
• 1890-1924
• Jews came for religious freedom
• Italians and Asians came for Work
• Russians came to escape persecution
• America had jobs

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Purpose
The purpose for this project was to tell people
about how life was while traveling through Ellis
Island. We wanted to learn about our ancestors
experiences and how it was for them. Life was so
much harder back then, so we wanted to compare
our lives today to how it was then. People always
say how hard life is but compared to what our
ancestors went through, it is one of the best and
easiest things. There was so much more work and
fighting for survival. These days, we have a lot
of technology that helps our work and health.
Learned
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Vocabulary

• Immigrant- a person who comes to a new country to
  live
• Economic-Of or relating to the production,
  development, and management
• of material wealth, as of a country,
  household, or business enterprise
• Gibbet- a cross used for hanging a person until
  they died a gallows.
• Facilitate- to help or make easier
• Diphtheria- an infectious disease causing
  difficulty in breathing, high fever, and weakness
  
• Poverty- being poor lack of the means of
  providing material needs or
• comforts
• Oppression- oppressing arbitrary and cruel
  exercise of power
• Abundance- a great or plentiful amount
• Kilts- a knee-length skirt, usually of a wool,
  worn by women, girls, and boys
• Knickers- formerly worn as long underwear by
  women and girls
• Caste- a social class separated from others by
  hereditary rank, profession, or wealth
• Peasantry- the condition, rank, or conduct of a
  peasant

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Bibliography

• http//www.ellisisland.com/indexExperience.html
• http//www.historychannel.com/ellisisland/index2.h
  tml
• http//www.clevehill.wnyric.org/aphist/Irelandhist
  ory.html
• http//www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Immigration/re
  asons_for_immigration.html
• History Book
• Our Brains and minds
• Our Grandparents and Parents

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The End
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