Tales of Ellis Island
Entering
the Melting Pot
The United
States of America has been described as a melting pot of cultures,
into which all immigrants, no matter what their backgrounds, can
be transformed into Americans. The phrase was coined in the early
twentieth century, when America was absorbing its largest wave of
immigrants ever.
Americans whose families arrived in the United States during this time period can look to Ellis Island to learn more about their ancestors.
The popular Hollywood image of a steamship moving past the Statue of Liberty almost always depicts immigrants arriving at Ellis Island. In 1892, the Federal Government erected a main building on this small, 27-acre island in New York Harbor to greet and inspect arriving immigrants. Nearly all immigrants coming to America between the years of 1892 and 1954 passed through here, making it one of the most important landmarks in America. More than 12 million immigrants were welcomed to America during this time period. On a busy day, as many as 5,000 immigrants were processed.
What was Ellis Island like for immigrants in the early twentieth century?
Tracking
Down the Past
Although passengers
with first- and second-class tickets usually bypassed the process,
third-class passengers were inspected by doctors to ensure that
they did not carry any contagious diseases. The doctors became efficient
at checking immigrants and were soon able to check for numerous
medical conditions, including anemia and goiter, in only six seconds.
The immigrants' papers were checked to ensure that they were not illegal contract laborers. Those who failed one of these exams were sent back to their homeland. Two percent of arrivals were denied entry. Those who passed the test were allowed to start new lives in the "land of dreams."
- Answer 10 questions to find out if you would have been allowed to pass through Ellis Island.
Thanks in part to the health and legal exams, there are excellent records of the Ellis Island immigrants. At www.ellisislandrecords.com, these records are available to the public in what proves to be a fascinating tool to discover one's heritage.
No information other than a first and last name is needed to track an immigrant. Simply type in a name, and this site reveals how old the immigrant was when he arrived, his marital status, his birthplace, and whether or not he became a U.S. citizen. The Web site also gives the name of the ship that he arrived on, shows a photo of the ship, and gives information about the ship, such as where it was built.
Site users can build
a portfolio of such information. This feature is aimed at helping
people discover more details about their families, perhaps for family
trees or tracking down relatives. Users can send invitations to
others to look at their portfolios. This Web site is not only an
excellent way to look for one's own family, but it can also be used
by teachers to capture students' attention about American history.
Electronic
Field Trip
Students can learn more
about the immigrant experience on Ellis Island by taking the Riverdeep
Ellis Island Xcursion. This electronic field trip through teacher-selected
Web sites provides students with all the information they need to
write short pieces of historical fiction set on Ellis Island.
Throughout the Xcursion,
they will complete the prewriting process by answering questions,
responding to material, and brainstorming ideas. If students can
find an ancestor at www.ellisislandrecords.com,
they can also base their fiction on the information they learn about
their family members.
This article was written by Paul Kremsky, a Junior in Arlington High School, Massachusetts. He is a member of the soccer, wrestling, and tennis teams and studies to become a writer.
- Students can explore issues of immigration to the United States at the Riverdeep Immigration Issues Xcursion.
- See if you recognize
any of the
famous people who passed through Ellis Island on their way
to illustrious careers in the United States.
- Read "The Myth of the Melting Pot," at washingtonpost.com.