Transcript ELLIS ISLAND - Hialeah Senior High School

Immigrants in Search of
Better Lives
Where did the immigrants come from?
Old Immigration
New Immigration
• Members of the “Old”
• New Immigration grew
came to the US
rapidly after 1890. Many
between 1840-1890.
came from southern &
Most of the these
eastern Europe. Mostly
people came from
were Catholics & Jews. It
northern & western
also included people from
Europe. Majority were
Mexico; other nations in
Protestants. Several
Latin American and
thousands Chinese also
Japan.
came.
New Immigrants were even different from
Old Immigrants in their clothing; religion;
and languages.
Why did they come?
Push factors or Pull factors
Push factors (negative):
1. Injustice
2. Poverty
3. Religious or political
persecution
Pull factors (positive):
1. Democracy
2. Freedom of religion
3. Economic opportunity
In Search for a better life
Most immigrants boarded a ship at a
European port and were then
directed to the ship's steerage. The
majority of people could not afford
first class or cabin passage.
In 1910 a steerage ticket cost between
$10.00 to $35.00. Steerage was near
the bottom of the boat, very cramped,
offering little light, ventilation or
privacy. At worse, it condemned
individuals to 10-15 days of total
misery.
Onboard Ship
Lady Liberty
The millions of immigrants who sailed
to America were greeted by the Statue
of Liberty. The statue was a gift from
France. Frederic Bartholdi designed
and sculpted the statue. He decided to
make the statue a symbol of liberty.
Lady Liberty would face the ocean
with a greeting and a
promise. The seven spikes in the
statue's crown stand for seven
liberties: civil, moral, national,
natural, personal, political, and
religious.
Ellis Island (East Coast)
• Ellis Island served
as the portal for a
majority of new
immigrants from
1892 till it closed in
1954.
• More than 12
million immigrants
were processed
here.
Baggage Room
• The arriving
immigrants checked
most of their
heaviest baggage in
the first-floor
baggage room
before heading to
the great hall for
processing by U.S.
Immigration
Inspectors.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall cont.
• Also known as the
Registry Room, this
is where millions of
immigrants were
processed for
admission to the
United States.
• After waiting in line
for hours, an
interview with the
inspector would
determine the
applicants future.
•
With the huge numbers of
immigrants, inspectors had
just 2 minutes to complete
the process and many
immigrants had their last
names changed by the
inspectors because they
didn’t have the time or
patience to struggle with the
foreign spellings.
What is their fate?
• Now began a series
of tests that would
determine your fate
• Only 2 % were sent
back
• 2% of 12 Million
• Would you like to
have 2% of $12
Million Dollars?
Stairs of Separation
• As the immigrants
walked up the
staircase, U.S.
Public Health
Officials watched
them for signs of a
number of illnesses.
The Inspection Line
Medical Exams
• The Inspector would
take about 7 seconds
to determine if the
immigrant had any
infectious diseases.
• Some would be sent
back and some
detained in
quarantine.
• Only two percent of
the arriving
immigrants were
excluded from entry.
The Medical Exam
• Medical Inspectors
watched the people
& marked them with
chalk
• The exam was
frightening &
embarrassing
• Many varied
ailments could send
you home
Chalk Marks Used at Ellis Island
• X – Suspected Mental
Defect
• Circled X- Definite
Signs of Mental Defects
• B – Black
• C- Conjunctivitis
• CT – Trachoma
• E- Eyes
• F- Face
• Ft- Feet
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
G- Goiter
H- Heart
K- Hernia
N- Neck
L- Lameness
P- Physical & Lungs
PG- Pregnancy
SC- Scalp
S- Senility
SI- Special Inquiry
The Questions
• Asked a Series of 29
Questions
• The Same as Were
Asked Before
Leaving Europe
• To See if Your Story
Remained the Same
Dormitories
• Immigrants that
were detained for
medical or other
reasons stayed in
these rooms, tightly
packed with rows of
bunk beds.
Making it
• Once All the Testing
Was Done, You Were
Allowed to Leave the
Island & Become an
American
• Or Become a “Bird of
Passage” intended to
immigrate temporarily
to earn money; and
then return to their
homeland.
The Kissing Post
• After immigrants
were approved for
admission, they
would walk down
the stairs to meet
their loved ones.
• This area became
known as the
kissing post.
Angel Island (West Coast)
• Asian immigrants arriving on the west
coast went through Angel Island in San
Francisco.
• The inspection process on Angel Island
was more difficult than on Ellis Island.
• Immigrants endured harsh questioning
and a long detention in filthy
ramshackle buildings
· Immigrants adjusted by settling in communities with
people of their own ethnic group. This made them feel more
at home.
Little Italy, New York City
A Jewish vendor in Lower
East Side, New York City
Adjusting
to a New Land
·
Most immigrants stayed in the cities where they landed.
·
By 1900, lower Manhattan was the most crowded place in
the world.
Life in the New Land
• Life was not easy for these newcomers to
our nation.
• They did not speak English and they had
no family/friends to help them get
started.
• They took whatever job; even if that
meant the poorest paid and hardest jobs.
• In spite of hardships; most immigrants
learned the language and became US
citizens.
Americans’ Reaction to Immigration
1. They did not like the idea of so many
immigrants living in their country.
2. The arrival of so many immigrants led to
the growth of nativism & xenophobia.
3. Nativism is the preference for native-born
Americans. Xenophobia is the fear or hatred
of foreigners.
4. It gave rise to anti-immigrant groups.
5. It also led to a demand for immigration
restrictions.
Anti-Asian Sentiment
· Many Americans feared they would lose their jobs to the
Chinese. As a result; labor groups pressured politicians to
restrict Asian immigration.
Asians were prohibited
from buying land in
California.
·
Chinese immigrants were
frequently attacked, and
occasionally killed, by
racist mobs.
Seattle's anti-Chinese riot of
February 8, 1886
Congress passed
the Chinese
Exclusion Act
- In 1882; it closed the
door on Chinese
immigration for 10
years. Only students;
teachers; merchants;
tourists and government
officials.
- It was renewed
several times by
Congress before
being repealed in
1943 by the Supreme
Court.
The Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907)
• Americans showed prejudice
against Japanese immigrants as
well.
• In San Francisco; the local
school board put all Chinese;
Japanese; and Korean children
in special Asian schools.
• This led to anti-American riots
in Japan.
• Under the Gentlemen’s
Agreement; Japan’s
government agreed to limit
immigration to the US in
exchange for the repeal of the
San Francisco segregation
order.
Quota System (1924)
• This system established the maximum
number of people who could enter the
United States from each foreign
country.
• The goal of the quota system was to
cut sharply European immigration to
the United States.
• Favors “desirable” immigrants over
others
• The system achieved that goal!
The End