Write a 300-word summary of some of the interesting things you learned about Ellis Island and the immigrant experiences there.
In your summary, include at least 5 unique or interesting stories or facts about the immigrant experience and/or Ellis Island.
To really make it interesting, you can take on the role of an immigrant or an immigration worker if you would like to make it a first-person summary~ this is optional.
Save your summary to a Word document and copy and paste it HERE. Then respond to ONE classmate too.
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The famous immigration checkpoint Ellis Island started with the same humble beginnings as many of the immigrants who passed through thereon the way to a better life. Ellis Island was originally a 3 acre piece of land that was nearly completely covered by high tide. In 1890 when the first immigration station proved to be too small the House Committee of Immigration chose Ellis Island to be the new station. The United States prepared the small island for the new buildings by laying landfills and barge slips. The enlarged island eventually reached the size of 14 acres.
Immigrants from all over the world were driven to the U.S. for many different reasons. A perfect example of these reasons faced Irish emigrants. Ireland went through many troubles as a nation including religious persecution. There was a sharp division in Ireland between Protestants in power and common Catholics. This led to violence as well as government insubordination. Another problem for the Irish was poverty. Overpopulation and Irish Potato Famine led to thousands of families with more hope in a new land then their homeland. Then of course as the Immigrants who started making their money they would send money to their family so they could come to the U.S. themselves.
Just as the immigrants had different reasons to enter Ellis Island, they had different experiences while passing through. A young Russian boy named Arnold tricked the island’s judges by silently reading a passage for his illiterate mother to say aloud. Yet others like a young Russian woman were not able to rely on their families as Arnold’s mother could. The young woman was stuck in limbo when her American fiancée changed his mind about marrying her, leaving her bleary eyed waiting for the workers to make a decision about her. A Hungarian man had an even worse experience on Ellis Island as he was detained without charges, forced to look at the Statue of Liberty, symbol of a better life and new freedom, while caged.
Immigration was a chance of survival for many people during the 1800’s. Getting to America was like reaching a safe haven from their homeland. Many men would come looking for work or freedom, and if they liked what they saw, which most did, they would send back for their wives and families to join them in America. Here, they had the chance for a better life and security. Most of the immigrants that came to America were made up of the English. The English were the first to establish colonies and help America spring into action. In 1607, they founded the first peaceful English settlement, Jamestown. With these English settlers came the African immigrants. The majorities of the African immigrants were slaves and forced to come to America to work for the English on farms known as plantations. They were treated cruelly and ridiculed for their race. Another flow of immigrants were the Irish, who were actually coming to America just so they had a chance to survive! In Ireland, in 1845, a great potato famine struck the nation and many people died of starvation. Immigrants fled to America in the hopes of survival and rebuilding the lives they lost on their homeland. Coming to America was a new chance for many people and for some; it wasn’t their choice at all. But overall, the lives of many people changed and work was offered to those who asked.
The treatment that immigrants received when coming to America was almost alien to them, it was very different than what they expected. For Endre Bohem, a Hungarian immigrant in 1921, being treated kindly was astonishing! When confronted by a woman, at Elis Island, who asked if she was alone, Endre was so used to being treated cruelly that she was too scared to admit that she was by herself. When realizing that the woman was only trying to help and not throw her in jail, she sheepishly admitted she was indeed alone and had no family waiting for her. This shows just how different American life would be for many immigrants, freedom and security was now an everyday privilege for everyone. Though in recent years, many immigration laws have been passed, prohibiting the immigration of certain people into the United States. For instance, Remigio, a Mexican immigrant was put in jail when trying to enter American when looking for work. After a month of no communication with his family and no work, Remigio received a citizenship card and was released from prison, able to enter America legally. Though, laws have gotten harder over the years, everyone is offered the dame freedom and security as they did in the 1800’s.
@Cailyn Maney
Great job explaining an overview of Ellis Island. I think your example of the Irish was great at explaining how people came to America looking for more land and better life. Also, I liked how you explained the experiences of the young boy and the Hungarian man.
To me Ellis Island is both a sad and happy thing. It was sad to hear about the balls of yarn some of the immigrants used to stay with their loved ones as long as possible and to learn about all the restrictions that they made not letting in Chienese immigrants or the ones that were sick, but on the otherhand it was joyful to hear how it brought joy into the lives of many of the immigrants that got through and went on to live a better life in America. Durning the immigrants time i was surprised to find how well they were actually treated. I always asumed that it was not a crule inviornment but not as nice as some of the immigrants claimed it to be, they got a good first meal and nice people to take care of them. Being on the island in the care of the nice people was more than likely a breath of fresh air to the immigrants after the hard ship ride they had there being so compacted and having everyone get sick.
Out of all the stories I think my favorite would have to be the one by commissioner William about the Russian girl because it really showed the hard sacrafices that some women had to make to get to America and have their freedome and it also shows how strong and dignified they were.
@Cailyn Maney
I liked your word choice in your summary it really gave it a strong vibe. I also liked the story you chose to talk about because i think that the things like that happened were very sad but in the end showed the true strength of the people that went through them.
Ellis Island was the first discontinuance for immigrants from countries all over the world that came to America. Ellis Island was a position set up as a federal immigration station as a rest to accept immigrants coming by ferry from countries all over the world. People went to Ellis Island for freedom, they came for job opportunities, and they also came to see what a real like in the United States was really life. They were all questioned on a whole lot from their past experiences, fine points on their families, what their health was like, finances, and further more. It was sometimes demanding, but very worth it in the end. After their time at Ellis Island, they were liberated to go out into the land of America and start their encouraged future, which as a dream for millions of immigrants. Ellis Island welcomed many immigrants to the United States. Most of the immigrants were considered English and they had the most crucial role. Those less fortunate or those with medical conditions or legal troubles were sent to Ellis Island for thorough inspection. While at Ellis Island, the future American would endure a precise dealing out segment that included questioning, review of his/her paperwork, and a medical inspection. Many foreign countries were suffering great economic lows. Work was scarce, and opportunities were few. With little money, many immigrants made it their ambition to journey to the United States with dreams of magnificence and hope. It was their hope that they would experience a better life, with a better-paying job and chance for their family to advance. Ellis Island was the immigrant's connection to that new world and was the gateway to a foreigner's dreams. As I read on, it seemed like others seemed to enjoy it and the rest didn’t have great stories to tell from it. Some had to make some sacrifices and that shows a lot about those people and the dedication and hard ship they went through just to go to America.
Kennedie,
I liked how you brought up the Russian girl. I also talked about the sacrifices some people made. It shows so much character and it brings a lot to the table when it comes to migrating to America. It really set a good example for some and shows the dedication some people have to get the job done and have some of their dreams come true.
Good job!
Ellis Island was a symbol of hope for many people, but also not such a good symbol for others. It was hard to get into American, and when the immigration because so big that they could not use the old office they had, they decided to move it to the Ellis Island. It started out with a small area on around 3,3 acres, but after only two years it was enlarged to 14 acres. Many people had high ambitions when they came to American. Some wanted to earn money to send home to get the rest of their family overseas. I read that they many people had a ball of yarn and the family home had one end of it and the people/person that left had the other end. This was touching. It can just imagine how hard it was for them to leave their families behind. The boat rides over the sea was had for many people. They were not used to be on the water for so many days in a row, and when the sea got “angry” many of them were just praying for the torture to be over. When they finally got off the boat they were held up in a big building for examination. The people with diseases were further examined. There was a story about this, where a woman got marked, and she might have to leave her family, so some people helped her and told her to turn her jacket, because they marked her with a K on the back. One story I read that really touched me was a story about a Russian girl that came to America to marry a man that had asked for her hand, but when he saw her he did not want her after all. This is a terrible thing to do to any person no matter what. What was she supposed to do when they could not let her go in to the country without a reason to be there. Many immigrants talked well about the persons working there. They said that everyone was so nice, and treating them well, which gave them hope.
@marina romero
You did a great job summon up the main points of the Ellis Island. you managed to take with you the most important things. Like what they had to go through to get in to the country and why they came. Good Job :)
From Gull Island to Oyster Island to Gibbet Island and now to Ellis Island, this Island has been through a lot. As you can see Ellis Island has been owned by multiple people and many faces have passed through this structure in history especially Immigrants. The Immigrants that have passed through explained Ellis Island as "I remember my grandfather always telling me how he knew he could be rich in America because he saw riches in the architecture of Ellis Island. He felt that if they let the poor in such a gorgeous hall then life in this country was just." "So when I came to Ellis Island, my gosh, there was something I'll never forget. The first impression - all kinds of nationalities.” "At Ellis Island there was nothing to do. You just had to sit around. You could walk up and down among the crowds and wait for the man to come with chewing gum or an apple, but you couldn't go anyplace….”. It is also described as poorly built by some architects who also said to fix all the architecture that needs to be fixed it was going to cost about 150,000 dollars but later it was ruined by a kitchen fire and the total cost of it including hiring people was about 500,000 dollars. It was definitely different for immigrants to live in America and once they got here it wasn’t everything they expected it to be but that goes more with the Gilded Age. We had so many different people coming to America from different countries that had different backgrounds, opinions, lifestyles, and government. America offered them so much freedom that their countries didn’t provide for them. America also offered land for cheap so that’s another thing that attracted them. When immigrants did come to America they did their own thing. It says that Germans clustered together and basically stayed close to each other like how china town is. It was difficult for immigrants though especially when there were ripped apart from their families. It says “Mothers were torn from children, husbands from wives. The law came down like a sword between them”. In the end America had an impact on immigrants but mostly immigrants impacted America and brought much culture with them.
@Annika
Your essay was very good and i liked the part with the balls of yarn too (:
@Cailyn Maney
I loved the stories you told in yours, it made it so fascinating. I also liked how truthful you were.
@ Ashley Cotham
Thank you Ashley.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
Immigration Stories
Ellis Island was a very important historical monument. The island was so famously known that it was part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.It was known as the gateway or the first stop of millions that had eventually decided to migrate so that they could also make something of themselves. Ellis Island was located in the southwest of Manhattan in New York City and was served as an entry point for the immigrants. It was also an immigration station for immigrants that waited for deportation that wanted to migrate away from where they were originally from. Often times this was because of freedom and religion. It was said that over 12 million immigrants were seeking access to the United States because they wanted their way of life to change. There were so many people that after a while they had to completely expand the size of the new station. The new island was so much larger that it had increased more than seventeen acres. It was in 1897, that the original building that was made out of wood that had burned to the ground. While some records were lost, none of the ship manifests were lost as they were stored elsewhere. The most historical and main building that exists even today was opened in 1900. In that time, there were 389,000 immigrants that were processed through it in the first year just by itself. The highest number in one day that was recorded had occurred in 1907. This astonishing number was 11,747.
As immigrants left their homelands, the mood was bittersweet. They were leaving for a better life, but were often leaving loved ones behind. Some even held onto balls of yarn that their on-shore relatives had the ends of. The actual journey was very sickening, as many immigrants were cramped together in the filthy steerage. Yet upon arrival at Ellis Island, immigrants could feel the promise of a better life ahead. One immigrant expressed how nice the nurses were to the people, including the children. Another was delighted to be able to eat and drink in such abundance, because in his homeland there hadn't been enough milk to go around. However, not everyone's experience at Ellis Island was pleasant, because some immigrants were deported back to their countries. Sometimes, families even had to be split apart. In one case, a Russian Jewish son was allowed in, but his father had to return to Russia. Yet many workers at Ellis Island tried to work for the good of the immigrants, such as one man who changed the truth several times for a Polish baby wanting to enter with his mother until he got to come in. My favorite story on the site was the one about an incoming Jewish family whose mother had to pass a literacy test. But she couldn’t read, even in her native Yiddish language, so her 13-year-old daughter quickly looked at the Yiddish passage and memorized it. Then, she stood underneath her mother, hidden by the people around her, and whispered the words to her mother, who repeated them to the officer. I thought this was an extremely clever method of getting through the gates! Beyond Ellis Island, though, many immigrants experienced extreme hardship. The Chinese especially were violently discriminated against, and all kinds of immigrants lived in small dwellings with lots of other people. The immigrants had to work long hours to get what they earned, too, completing nasty or grueling work such as sewer cleaning and canal building. Overall, life in America wasn’t perfect for anyone, but it was a blessing to be able to escape the dangers of home for those who were welcomed into the country.
@ Ashley
Wow, I liked your last sentence about how immigrants impacted America in a greater way than America impacted the immigrants. It's true, we still have representatives of most all the different early immigrant groups, and America is known as a "melting pot" because of this. It's kind of neat that we live in such a unique country.
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