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In this article, Rylie Revercomb will talk about the struggles and downsides when coming to America through Ellis Island.
Ellis Island
Ellis Island
By Rylie Revercomb
People all around the world were in distress. Some were facing religious persecution, poverty, economic distress, or political instability. They needed a way out, and America was a ticket out for a lot of those people. Many immigrants came a long way to Ellis Island so they could get through to America and a better life-- yet for some people, this better life was not the case.
Ellis Island opened its doors to the public in 1892, after the previous immigration station, Castle Garden, was disregarded because it was unprepared. Over a period of 62 years, more than 12 million immigrants came to Ellis Island. Only around 2% of the people who came to Ellis Island did not pass inspection, so that is only about 250,000 people of the 12 million. The people who were sent out were either physically unfit or had legal issues. For example, the Ellis Island Foundation states, “The two main reasons for exclusion were a doctor diagnosing an immigrant with a contagious disease... or a legal inspector was concerned an immigrant would likely become a public charge or an illegal contract laborer.” The diseases that doctors looked for especially were trachoma, tuberculosis, and diphtheria.
Immigrants at Ellis Island Being Examined By: History.com
Sadly, a place that was known for hope was not exactly the safest or most inclusive place. On June 15, 1897, Ellis Island caught fire and burned to the ground. Although no lives were lost, people lost valuables, and Federal and State immigration records dating all the way back to 1855 were destroyed. Another cruel fact about Ellis Island is that it was also known as ‘The Island of Tears’ and not everyone was treated respectfully and courteously. From 1880 to 1924, Ellis Island closed its doors to some immigrants due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Alien Contract Labor Law, the quota laws, and the National Origins Act law. These were only a few of the restrictions that kept some immigrants from entering the United States.
Annie Moore and Her Brothers By: Honoring Our Ancestors
Another reason that Ellis Island was an awful place is that they allowed minors to pass through by themselves. In fact, according to the source The History Channel, the very first immigrants to arrive were three unaccompanied minors. The source states, “The first would-be immigrant to set foot on the island was Annie Moore, a teenager from County Cork, Ireland who had crossed the Atlantic with her 11 and 7-year-old brothers.” They were fine with letting minors through the gates to fend for themselves in America. Even though Annie and her brothers were meeting up with their family, it is still not right to let any unaccompanied minors pass through without a parent or a guardian.
People can always look into the past for historical moments or places, but not all of them are pleasant. And that’s how it was for some of the people at Ellis Island. Disease, fires, restriction, and unaccompanied minors are just a few of the many problems in our history. Again, many immigrants came to America with the hope of a better life, but not everyone got what they were looking for when they came to Ellis Island.
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