Ellis Island : The Aspects Of Immigrants In The 19th Century

The Ellis Island known today was founded by the New York State government in 1855 and it was the first immigrant processing station established in the United States. This maverick immigrant processing station was originally based on an island off the southwest tip of Manhattan, Castle Garden. The NY State Government placed this Immigrant processing station off shore for two main reasons. The first of those reasons being, for the protection of the immigrants who were often robbed or tricked out of their already meager funds by city swindlers. Also, to further prevent the spread of any infectious diseases that potential immigrants may have been carrying. Prior to the establishment of the Castle Garden processing station, Immigrants were allowed to simply walk freely into Manhattan harbor after departing from their ships. In April of 1890, due to legal issues, the castle garden project was ended and the US government purchased a swampy and small island to the to the southeast of Manhattan, where they would construct a new immigrant processing center and

Today, New York City is the most populated city in the United States. New York City, NYC, is made up of five boroughs including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. Ellis Island, the first immigration station, and the statue of liberty are both located in New York. Immigrants went for more freedom in the 1800s and for economic and other opportunities back then and even now. Since NYC is such a large city, there are more job opportunities which draws people to the city. Also, there are an abundance of attractions and much more cultural diversity. All of these factors contribute to the reason the population is a whopping 8.538 million people!

Ellis Island was the stopping grounds from 1892 to 1954, for over twelve million immigrants, who entered the United States as a way to conquer new opportunities and live a better life that mirrors the American Dream . Ellis Island is a small island that sits in the S hadow of The Statue of Liberty right off the tip of Manhattan by the coast of New Jersey within the New York Harbor. It was the major harbor for immigrant’s entry, all who came, arrived by steamboats and had one to two weeks of travel. On the steamboat the passengers were divided according to wealth and class. The staterooms and cabins were designed for the first and second class passengers and the large open space at the bottom of the boat was called “steerage” this area was assigned

Ellis Island is part of New York state and New Jersey. it is a portal for migrates who comes to United States.

Millions of newly arrived immigrants passed through the station during that time. Immigrants would be checked physically for any diseases to see if they would be approved to enter the United States. In the beginning of 1925 to its closing in 1954, “only 2.3 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island–which was still more than half of all those entering the United States”(Ellis Island). Other immigrants staying at Ellis Island lived in really bad conditions to the point where many immigrants couldn’t survive. Not to mention, Ellis Island wasn't even big therefore many people were cramped towards each other which made the odds of being ill a lot higher. Furthermore at Ellis Island “In June 15, 1897 a fire destroyed the buildings and killed many immigrants” (Immigration). This fire nearly killed everyone and unfortunately, only two hundred seventy people were able to survive (Immigration). Lastly, immigrants who passed Ellis Island still had to go through 1 more test to get to America. Immigrants were then lead to a “great hall where they were asked 29 questions” (Ellis Island). These questions consisted mainly of personal information like what's your name, how old are you and some history questions like what is the 4th of July (Questions Asked of Immigrants at Ellis

Ellis Island and Angel Island presented an opportunity for success. People that wouldn't normally have a chance to succeed got to come to America and start a new life. Carl L Bankston talks about the travel to Ellis Island, “Doctors took one glance while immigrants go to the second floor. This was known as the "Six-Second exam" (Bankston, Carl L, 179). Rebman also talks about Coded Chalk Marks, she says, “A chalk mark drawn on the shoulder of an immigrant’s jacket or on his lapel indicated a wide variety of abnormalities. This system of coded chalk marks quickly identified immigrants needing further examination. Illness and medical problems were the most frequent causes of deportation. More than a dozen letters were used to indicate possible problems; for example, B: back, CT: trachoma, E: eyes, H: heart, L: lameness, Pg: pregnancy, Sc: scalp, X: suspected mental illness (a circled X meant definite signs of mental disease had been observed)” (Rebman, 24).

The 1840s and 50s experienced a massive escalation in the number of immigrants from Europe especially from Ireland, and Germany, arriving on U.S shores in densely populated urban areas (Arenson, 2011). Most of them afterward became vigorous in domestic politics, much to the aggravation of old-stock, authentic Americans. The consequence was a renaissance in the formation of “nativistic” societies (small, indistinct, anti-foreign and anti-catholic organizations), some which banded together in the early 1850s to form the American Party (Arenson, 2011). Commonly referred to as the “Know-Nothing,” the party rode a wave of racial intolerance as well as racism into the mid-1850s.

Many people from all over the world saw America as a place to create a better life for them and their family. America was a place full of many job opportunities, ones that were not available anywhere else in the world. It was in America that people from different nations saw the chance to escape the place they originally lived because of unfair government or as a chance to have money to send back to their family in their homeland. The period after the civil war was an era of tremendous migration from southern and eastern Europe as well as from China, because of all the opportunities that were available here that were not available anywhere else. Migration was also prominent within America when African Americans

Around the late 1800’s and early 1900’s America’s ethnicity vastly expanded; the streets of New York city flooded with immigrants in prospect of new lives for their families and fresh starts. “...From eastern and southern Europe rather than western and northern Europe…” (pg. 738, America A Narrative History), the geography varied far and wide. Upon entering the land of freedom, most of the immigrants were to be inspected at the ever famous “Edison Island” in New York. After embarking towards the substantially immense crowds, lice checks, welfare checks, and possibly a standard test determining if you could read or write was given. The streets began to be bustling with foreign languages being shouted in every direction. To some “nativists” this expansion was very horrifying, these people were taking jobs and depriving Americans of opportunities. “Beginning in the 1880’s, nativist advocated restrictive immigration laws and won passage of the Chinese exclusion Act.” (

In the late 1800s , America became the land of new opportunities and new beginnings and New York City became the first landmark for immigrants. New York City was home to Ellis Island, the area in which migrants were to be handed for freedom to enter the nation. Living in New York City gave work and availability to ports. In time the city gave the chance to outsider's to construct groups with individuals from their nation , they were classified as new and old settlers. Old outsiders included Germans, Irish and, English. The new outsiders incorporated those from Italy, Russia, Poland and Austria-Hungary. In 1875, the New York City populace was a little 1 million individuals contrasted with the 3,5 million it held when the new century

Immigration has always and will always play an important role in America’s history, along with the United States having the most open immigration policy in the world to this date. American history began with flocks of immigrants competing for lands to start a life, bringing over their vast traditions and values. Some brought nothing but determination. It’s disgusting to see our congress and lawmakers make these higher-end laws to keep foreigners out, yet our country is built off immigrants. Since the 19th century, America has been the leading destination unlike no other for immigrants to reside. No other country has such a wide range of races and population like America. Diversity is indeed, what makes this country so unique. America has always

Regulating the Melting Pot of AmericaInspired by a simple misuse of the English language, The Ghosts of Ellis Island, writtenby Mary Gordon, stated, “I could feel all that [Ellis Island] stood for: insecurity, obedience,anxiety, dehumanization, [and] the terrified and careful deference of the displaced” (Gordon 39). Ellis Island is a monument to a time in American history when immigrants were required to beinspected like luggage, and pass inspection, prior to entry into the United States of America.However, Ellis Island is only a small fraction of the history behind immigration in America. Prior to Ellis Island, anyone could enter the United States, and after Ellis Island, immigrants were required to obtain visas prior to traveling to America. The following paragraphs will discuss the three systems of immigration in the United States- no screening required, the screenings at Ellis Island, and the requirement of travel visas prior to travel to America. The essay will conclude with a brief argument for the most-appropriate method for entry into the United States.The United States was essentially founded upon immigration, and initially, no laws governed immigration into America. People simply arrived and established colonies, towns,communities, and territories. Many of the first immigrants to America included religious groupsseeking refuge from strict laws governing religion in their home countries. Some were criminals and scoundrels looking to avoid jail sentences. Still

People from all over the world view America as the land of opportunity. They saw new beginnings and a better life for themselves and their families. The process of coming to the United States was never easy, because immigrants had to go through long and hard processes at the Immigration Center, known as Ellis Island. Ellis Island is located on the Hudson River off the New York City Harbor and in between Governor’s Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration

My favorite theatrical experience was when I was part of the audience watching “The stop at Ellis Island.” This play was chosen by our third grade teacher when the topic of immigration came up in our Social studies curriculum. I was already bored by reading about immigration processing, and my last experience in theatre was boring to the extent that I slept through the whole play. This caused me to reject the idea of going to this one. I hid the permission slip from my parents, but was exposed when my teacher asked my parents at a gathering, so I had to go (basically it was like a punishment for me since I hd something from my parents.) The play takes place in a room on Ellis Island in 1906, where seven newly-arrived immigrants have been singled