The immigrant inspection journey at Ellis Island

Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York, and was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, about 12 million immigrants arriving at the Port of New York and New Jersey were processed there; according to one estimate, two-fifths of Americans may be descended from these immigrants.

2 articles, 1 video, 1 book · about 1 hr 58 min of reading and viewing

The reading path

1. Read
   

   the life of immigrants in ellis island · Wikipedia · 60+ min read

   During medical inspection at Ellis Island, inspectors used chalk to mark immigrants suspected of being sick. Chalk-marked immigrants were sent to rooms for further inspection, according to a 1917 account. According to a reconstruction of immigration processes in 1907, immigrants who passed initial inspections spent two to five hours at Ellis Island doing interviews. Arrivals were asked a couple dozen questions, including their name, occupation, and how much money they carried. The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 greatly reduced the number of immigrants allowed into the United States, ending the era of mass immigration. Following the Immigration Act of 1924, Ellis Island was downgraded from a primary inspection center to an immigrant-detention center for those to be detained or deported, while final inspections were conducted aboard ships in New York Harbor.

2. Read
   

   At Peak, Most Immigrants Arriving at Ellis Island Were Processed in a Few Hours | HISTORY · HISTORY · 6 min read

   For immigrants at Ellis Island, the only free food was given to detainees held forcibly overnight, and 2 percent were denied entry to the United States. Cannato called the contrast a "great contradiction or irony": despite a massive inspection process and efforts to keep people out, less than 2 percent were rejected.

3. Watch
   

   Growth, Cities, and Immigration: Crash Course US History #25 · YouTube · 13 min watch

   John Green covers mass immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including immigrants' reasons for coming, living conditions, and treatment.

4. Book
   

   The Arrival · Bookshop.org

   The Arrival by Shaun Tan describes a man leaving his wife and daughter to cross the ocean and build a better future for his family. Through clear images and the absence of words, Tan evokes universal aspects of an immigrant's experience, including the pain of separation and the challenge of communication.

Book links are Bookshop.org affiliate links. Curiate may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you — Bookshop.org also gives a share to independent bookshops.