☕MORE (about Ellis Island)

par MB · 18 janvier 2023

LEARN MORE ABOUT IMMIGRANTS AT ELLIS ISLAND

THE ELLIS ISLAND EXPERIENCE

Immigrants usually crossed the Atlantic as steerage passengers. Because steerage conditions were crowded and uncomfortable, passengers spent as much time as possible on deck.

The journey was an ordeal, but it was worth it. They were on their way to America.
The great majority of immigrants landed in New York City, America’s busiest port. They never forgot their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.

When their ship docked at a Hudson River pier, the immigrants had numbered identity tags pinned to their clothing. Then, they were herded onto special ferryboats that carried them to Ellis Island. Officials hurried them along, shouting “Quick! Run! Hurry!” in half a dozen languages.

Filing into an enormous inspection hall, the immigrants formed long lines separated by iron railings […]
Now the examinations began. First, the immigrants were examined by two doctors of the United States Health Service. One doctor looked for physical and mental abnormalities. When a case aroused suspicion, the immigrant received a chalk mark on the right shoulder for further inspection: L for lameness, H for heart, X for mental defects, and so on.

The second doctor watched for contagious and infectious diseases. he looked especially for infections of the scalp and at the eyelids for symptoms of trachoma, a blinding disease. Since trachoma caused more than half of all medical detentions, this doctor was greatly feared. He stood directly in the immigrant’s path. With a swift movement, he would grab the immigrant’s eyelid, pull it up, and peer beneath it. If all was well, the immigrant was passed on.

Those who failed to get past both doctors had to undergo a more thorough medical exam. The others moved on to the registration clerk, who questioned them with the aid of an interpreter. What is your name? Your nationality? Your occupation? Can you read and write? Have you ever been in prison? How much money do you have with you? Where are you going?
Some immigrants were so flustered that they could not answer. They were allowed to sit and rest and try again.
About one immigrant out of every five or six was detained for additional examinations or questioning.

Russell Freedman, Immigrant Kids, 1995

Immigrants at Ellis Island