Arrival

__Arrival__
Immigrants traveled mainly by ships. The ships weren’t exactly the cleanliest there is but the immigrants were eager enough to suffer. They didn't have any gourmet foods or any fancy dining utensils. They ate dirty foods and distilled sea water. There were cramped spaces and barely any privacy. Rats infested the ships and caused diseases to spread more easily. People died on their way to America. So I guess you could say people would risk their life to get money and be happy in a new country. Usually, everything wasn't as it seemed.

This picture is of a group of immigrants on a ship going to Amercia. Everything is so crammed!

This picture is of two children upon arrival with tags.

Ellis Island
Ellis Island is off the coast of Manhattan, New York. Nearby is the ever popular and historic landmark called The Statue Of Liberty. Immigrants would check their heaviest baggage in the first floor baggage room. Most families were only allowed one prized possession each. After they checked their baggage, they moved up the staircase and United States Public Health physicians would watch for any signs of illness. This came to be known as the “six-second exam” If they saw anyone with any signs of a disease they would have a detailed examination. Next, everyone would line up in front of the “eye man” who examined their eyes with a buttonhook for any kinds of diseases. There were denied entry if they had any illnesses. Then the immigrants had another longer examination, which lasted from three to five minutes of nothing managed to go wrong. If there was anything wrong with one of them, the physicians wrote letters on them resembling what was wrong. There was an E for eye problems, an H for heart, L for lameness, SC for scalp, X for mental disease, and so on. Sometimes someone would try to cover up their symptoms by saying their fatigue was from carrying a heavy suitcase. The inspector’s job was to make sure no one was faking. A cafeteria was located at the entrance of Ellis Island where people could enjoy the “taste of America”. They experienced strange new dishes, which added to their already high excitement. Continuing on there was the Great Hall where immigrants registered. They would wait for hours at a time. An inspector would have an interview with them to determine where they would end up. People who stayed for medical reasons would stay in dormitories packed tightly with cots. Most of them only remained for a day. Others could stay there for weeks.

Only 2% of entering immigrants were deported

Here is a map of Ellis Island.