While Ellis Island has been closed for just about 70 years, it had a major impact on the lives of many people trying to enter the country for the first time and it has cemented itself as a major part of the History of the US. Today I am going to share some interesting details and facts I learned while partaking in a virtual tour of the island.
Arrival in Awe
Ellis island itself is located not too far away from Liberty Island which holds the famous statue of liberty which was built in 1886. Many immigrants arriving in New York harbor for the first time were greeted with this amazing sight to behold. Many would cheer or weep with joy at the sight, a symbol that their journey to the US had finally finished. Yet for many passengers, they still had a lot to go through before they could step foot in the US as after a quick health inspection, most immigrants were brought to Ellis Island to undergo immigration processing.
(The statue of liberty seen from the side of a passing ship.)
Processing People
Once immigrants arrived at Ellis Island, they were forced to undergo a series of more intensive health inspections as doctors checked for issues such as sickness, disease, physical impairments, and even troubled breathing. While most people had to wait 3-5 hours for these health checks to be completed, this wasn’t because the tests were lengthy but because the amount of people entering each day made the lines incredibly long. People that failed health inspections were placed into quarantine to undergo further inspections and some were even sent back to their home countries.
(A woman undergoes an eye exam during processing.)
The Legal Inspection
Once people passed the health examination, they would meet one on one with a uniformed inspector. This inspector had access to records on each immigrant’s information which was provided by the crew of ships the passengers arrived on. The inspector would then ask questions such as “Where were you born? Are you married? What is your occupation? Have you ever been convicted of a crime? How much money do you have? What is your destination?” If the immigrant gave any information’s that contradicted what was stated on the records provided by the crew, they could be detained for further questioning. If the information checked out, they would continue up a flight of stair before finally being free to start a new life in a new country.
(An official question’s an immigrant on their records.)
Final Thoughts
Having never participated in many virtual tours this was a really incredible presentation of an important place and part of US history. As an aspiring history teacher, I would love to be able to implement these kinds of tours into my classroom so I can provide a more interesting and engaging learning environment for students.
Thanks everyone for checking out my 5th Blog. If you’d like to check out the virtual tour of Ellis Island yourself, click this link https://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/index.html. If you get the chance check out my previous 4 for more stories and details on education related subjects.
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the challenges. It wass defdinitely informative. Your website is extremely helpful.Thanks ffor sharing!