Our family purposefully started our trip at Ellis Island in New York.  Here is a brief summary of what we learned.

 

Immigrants arriving by ships from all over the world were greeted by Lady Liberty in the harbor — a welcome site for the weary traveler.

As our tour guide Daliah said, “New York is the most mulitcultural city in the world.”  Just people watching in Times square, listening to the different languages spoken, and seeing the history of immigration at Ellis Island will confirm it.

Ellis Island is a very good place to start our world edventure, at least to see how America was formed.  It helped explain why groups of immigrants such as Chinese, Italians, Jews, would gather in certain areas of cities like New York — to support one another, to speak the same language, to maintain their cultural identity, all why trying to “make it” in this new land.

The journey of immigrants is so reminiscent of the mass immigrations happening today, and the concerns about national identity.  Even at Ellis Island 98% of the people were able to successfully immigrate, but 2%, about 1000 people a month, were sent home. Either the quota of that people group had been met, or there was a mental or medical problem, or they couldn’t prove they could work and would end up on public support.

Some political cartoons of the day regarding the idea of limiting the immigration could have been taken out of today’s newspaper:

And as Doctor T. Bruce H. Anderson said, “Ellis Island was a place of great happiness and great sorrow.  The coming together of families that had been separated for years was marvelous to see.  Unfortunately, times did occur when a family had to be separated because of deportations or death.  Then you wished you were somewhere else.”

This land of great promise was also a land of great challenge for immigrants, many of whom were overwhelmed with work, poverty, and other challenges.  As the Old Italian immigration story goes:

“Well, I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold.  When I got here, I found out three things: first, the streets weren’t paved with gold; second, they were’t paved at all; and third, I was expected to pave them.”

 

Immigrants carried all their worldly possessions with them.  They were only allowed to bring with them what they could physically carry. (Sounds like what Nicole told our girls before our Edventure began!)  As they got in line on Ellis Island doctors would use button loops (the kind that helped to tie shoes) to turn over people’s eyelids to check for trachoma — a disease that caused blindness.  It was an important, yet invasive, public health inspection.  If someone had red eyes, or had another visible ailment, their clothes were marked with chalk and they were told to go to another line where they would undergo a more complete inspection.

If someone couldn’t answer the questions correctly, or they appeared to have a mental issue, they were put into a line were they would “play” simple logic games… putting shapes into a square (we  failed at the example given to us!)  Other games seemed more like charades, where you had to act out ordering food to someone who didn’t speak your language.  It was all to see if you had what it would take to make it in the new world.

 

Occasionally, they were sent to an Ellis Island Medical clinic where they could be treated before being released.  For many immigrants, being interrogated by Ellis Island uniformed staff staff only reminded them of the conditions they were leaving in Russia or other countries.  But many immigrants remembered the kindness of the staff who gave them information and assistance.

Ellis Island was another reminder that immigrants built the infrastructure of America, from roads to canals, to buildings.  Even children worked in factories in terrible conditions.  Farmland was cultivated by immigrants.   It was out of these conditions that the 8 hour work day was demanded, child labor laws and the concept of a “weekend” was fought for.   People are willing to work and work hard, but they are not willing to sacrifice their mind, body, or spirit in dangerous conditions.