Twelve million immigrants who were processed through Ellis Island ended up having tens of millions of children and grandchildren, who heard many different stories about their life as an immigrant (Yans-McLaughlin 59). They sacrificed everything to start a better life in America for themselves and their family. The majority of the time, they did it even if it meant they would have nothing and would be struggling to begin their life in America. Passing as an immigrant through Ellis Island was not easy because they faced many hardships, the immigration process was tough, and life was a struggle even after passing through the island. Ellis Island was originally a 3.5 acre area located on the coast of Manhattan Island in the New York Bay.
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They had difficult lives in their foreign countries, which was a major reason for immigrating to America. Earlier in 1875, the US banned immigration into the United States due to spreading diseases in foreign countries, so many people had to spend years in their struggling countries (Cannato 86). Immigrants often left their homeland countries for reasons including war, drought, famine, and in some cases, religious persecution (“Ellis Island” 3). For Example, when Ellis Island first opened in 1892, many immigrants were Jews from Russia escaping the rule of the …show more content…
On a normal day, if 7,500 people arrived at Ellis Island, that means around 7,350 made it through. In 1891, America passed an Immigration Act, which required all who entered the United States to answer a list of questions. These questions were asked both when boarding the ship and at Ellis Island, to see if their answers matched. If their answers did not match or if they were misleading, they were deported for legal issues. As soon as the boat arrived, the process began. An inspector would board the ship to approve the passengers and make sure there were no contagious diseases. In the event that there was a contagious disease, the ship would not pass and would be forced to return to the foreign country before anybody was allowed off of the ship. When the ship was cleared, immigrants unloaded, and as Conway states in her book, “Each day at Ellis Island, nearly 2,000 arrivals climbed the most fateful staircase of their lives” (Conway 32). They would either be living in America, or on a ship back home in less than 24
They had difficult lives in their foreign countries, which was a major reason for immigrating to America. Earlier in 1875, the US banned immigration into the United States due to spreading diseases in foreign countries, so many people had to spend years in their struggling countries (Cannato 86). Immigrants often left their homeland countries for reasons including war, drought, famine, and in some cases, religious persecution (“Ellis Island” 3). For Example, when Ellis Island first opened in 1892, many immigrants were Jews from Russia escaping the rule of the …show more content…
On a normal day, if 7,500 people arrived at Ellis Island, that means around 7,350 made it through. In 1891, America passed an Immigration Act, which required all who entered the United States to answer a list of questions. These questions were asked both when boarding the ship and at Ellis Island, to see if their answers matched. If their answers did not match or if they were misleading, they were deported for legal issues. As soon as the boat arrived, the process began. An inspector would board the ship to approve the passengers and make sure there were no contagious diseases. In the event that there was a contagious disease, the ship would not pass and would be forced to return to the foreign country before anybody was allowed off of the ship. When the ship was cleared, immigrants unloaded, and as Conway states in her book, “Each day at Ellis Island, nearly 2,000 arrivals climbed the most fateful staircase of their lives” (Conway 32). They would either be living in America, or on a ship back home in less than 24