Ellis Island
Ellis Island: Isle of Hope or Isle of Tears?
Between 1892 and 1924, over 12 million immigrants arrived in America filled with hopeful anticipation of a new life (National Park Service para 1). Following their long journey by ship across the Atlantic Ocean, the first stop for many immigrants was Ellis Island. First- and second- class cabin passengers, who were immediately cleared for entry into America without being inspected or questioned, referred to Ellis Island as the “Isle of Hope.” For passengers who traveled in the steerage compartment, however, the experience was very different. These immigrants were subjected to medical examinations and interrogations to determine if they were fit for citizenship. For those immigrants who were detained or deported, Ellis Island was known as the “Isle of Tears.” Despite being promoted as a land of equal opportunity, this was not the case for many of the steerage class immigrants when they landed on Ellis Island.
“When we arrived on the 26th of December, on a very, very cold winter day, and the passenger ship was fastened to the pier ….the first-class passengers were asked to leave the ship. The second-class passengers followed. Then the announcement went around – all third-class passengers were please to remain on board overnight…. And so there was this slight feeling among many of us that, ‘Isn’t it strange that here we are coming to a country where there is complete equality, but not quite so for the newly arrived immigrants?’ (Reeves 56)
Even though they had departed from the same homeland and crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the same ship, the initial experiences of the immigrants when they arrived on Ellis Island were very different for the passengers who traveled in steerage compartments compared to those who were accommodated in first- or second-class cabins.
For those passengers who could afford first- or second-class traveling accommodations, the long and exhausting journey was over when they arrived
Between 1892 and 1924, over 12 million immigrants arrived in America filled with hopeful anticipation of a new life (National Park Service para 1). Following their long journey by ship across the Atlantic Ocean, the first stop for many immigrants was Ellis Island. First- and second- class cabin passengers, who were immediately cleared for entry into America without being inspected or questioned, referred to Ellis Island as the “Isle of Hope.” For passengers who traveled in the steerage compartment, however, the experience was very different. These immigrants were subjected to medical examinations and interrogations to determine if they were fit for citizenship. For those immigrants who were detained or deported, Ellis Island was known as the “Isle of Tears.” Despite being promoted as a land of equal opportunity, this was not the case for many of the steerage class immigrants when they landed on Ellis Island.
“When we arrived on the 26th of December, on a very, very cold winter day, and the passenger ship was fastened to the pier ….the first-class passengers were asked to leave the ship. The second-class passengers followed. Then the announcement went around – all third-class passengers were please to remain on board overnight…. And so there was this slight feeling among many of us that, ‘Isn’t it strange that here we are coming to a country where there is complete equality, but not quite so for the newly arrived immigrants?’ (Reeves 56)
Even though they had departed from the same homeland and crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the same ship, the initial experiences of the immigrants when they arrived on Ellis Island were very different for the passengers who traveled in steerage compartments compared to those who were accommodated in first- or second-class cabins.
For those passengers who could afford first- or second-class traveling accommodations, the long and exhausting journey was over when they arrived
Cited: Benton, Barbara. Ellis Island: A Pictorial History. New York, New York: Facts on File, Inc. 1985. Ellis Island: Through America’s Gateway. n.d. Web interview. 15 July 2012. Fisher Leonard. Ellis Island: Gateway to the New World. New York, New York: Holiday House 1986. National Park Service. Ellis Island. n.d. Web. 13 July 2012. Reeves, Pamela. Ellis Island: Gateway to the American Dream. New York, New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc. 1998. Stein, R. Conrad. The Story of Ellis Island. Chicago, Illinois: Children’s Press, Inc. 1992.