Island of Hopes or Island of Tears?

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Island of Hopes or Island of Tears?
ELLIS ISLAND
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Ellis Island is located just south of Manhattan
in New York Harbor. It was the gateway for more
than twelve million immigrants coming to the
United States between 1892 and 1954.
12,000,000
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Steamships like the one pictured above
carried immigrants to new hopes and dreams in the
United States. They left their native countries
in order to have religious freedom, freedom of
speech, or better economic opportunities.
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The Statue of Liberty stood in the harbor to
welcome the weary travelers. Ferries met the
ships to carry the immigrants to Ellis Island
for processing before they would be permitted to
enter the United States.
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Before leaving the steamships to board the
ferries, each immigrant had numbered tags pinned
to their clothing. These tags displayed two
numbers indicating the ships manifest page and
line number on which his or her name was
recorded. These numbers would later be used by
the inspectors on Ellis Island to question each
immigrant.
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Once the immigrants left the ferries they
found themselves in very long lines.
While standing in line, doctors and inspectors
scanned them for illnesses. Often, children were
asked their names to see if they could talk and
hear. As the line continued to move, doctors
examined each one for a variety of illnesses,
disabilities, or physical conditions.
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One of the most dreaded inspectors were
the buttonhook men who checked under the
eyelid for a very contagious eye disease.
Those who appeared sick were marked with blue
chalk on their clothing. Another doctor would
check them to decide if they could go to the
Ellis Island Hospital for treatment or be sent
back to the steamship to return to the country
they had left. Many families were separated
because one member of the family had an illness.

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Using the blue chalk, the inspectors developed a
letter code to represent several reasons for
further inspection. There were 17 different marks
used in the code.
Pg gt pregnant K gt hernia Ft gt feet
X gt feeble minds
For example
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If the immigrants passed all levels of the
inspection line, they were sent to the Registry
Hall to be questioned individually. Information
from the numbered tags on their clothing was
used to record personal
information.
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The inspector asked them their age, occupation,
marital status, and destination. Immigrants also
had to pass a literacy exam where they had to
read passages from the Bible.
In 1912, a law was passed that each man, woman,
and child entering the United States had to have
at least 20 dollars to start off their life in
America. This is about 400.00 today.If all went
well, the immigrant was cleared to enter the
United States. If not, they could ask for a
hearing before a special Board of Inquiry.
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After completion of successful inspection,
the immigrants left the Registry Hall to go down
the Stairs of Separation to begin their journey
through the gateway to a new life as an American.
Many immigrants changed their names to make them
more Americanized or because the inspectors
misspelled the names.
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When the
When the Department of Immigration Services
was transferred to Manhattan, Ellis Island closed
in 1954.President Ronald Reagan began a campaign
to raise funds to restore the Statue of Liberty
and Ellis Island in 1982. After completion of
restoration eight years later, Ellis Island was
reopened as a museum.