Objective
: Students will be able to understand the experiences of the New Immigrants at Ellis Island.
Procedure
: In this activity students will review the series of key events that immigrants experienced at Ellis Island. Teachers need to set the stage for the students. This activity may be done in two different ways; a visual presentation or a scripted play or presentation Remind students that the immigrants at Ellis Island had already experienced a long and difficult journey before arriving in New York harbor. But their journey was not quite over. Immigrants needed to proceed through a set immigration process before they could set foot in America. For the visual presentation the class should be divided into three groups. Each group will present a different aspect of the Ellis Island experience. These groups are then to present their findings in a poster presentation that includes written as well as visual material. Then they are to present their findings back to the class. Another way of meeting the objective of this lesson is to have the students present a scripted play where specific roles have been assigned. It is helpful if this is done with the cooperation of the English teachers. Suggestions for possible roles include: immigration official, medical examiners, legal inspectors, runners, and
immigrants from various countries in southern and eastern Europe.
Group One Immediate Arrival
Students should take the role of the first immigration officials that meet the immigrants at Ellis Island. Teachers should share the following information with this group. The ferry landed in a slip next to the main Ellis Island building. A gangplank was put down and a man was at the bottom shouting that men should go one way and women and children the other. The immigration official would examine them for admission. The newcomers came off their ship with their baggage. Their outer garments were tagged with their manifest number from the steamship, a card often seen in photographs. After they walked into the building they went directly to the Baggage Room. where they were told to check their belongings. Many chose to carry their belongings with them because they were afraid of theft.
Group Two The Medical Inspection
Students will think of themselves as medical officers. Teachers should share the following information with this group. It is their job to observe the immigrants as they walk single file up the grand staircase that led to the second floor Registry Room. As they made their way upstairs, medical officers observed their movements in what became known as the six second exam. They were looking for any obvious deformities or medical problems. Experienced inspectors were able to take in six details in one glance; namely, the scalp, face, hands, neck, gait and general condition. If anything unusual was noted, the immigrant would be stopped and a closer examination would be done. Next, came a more formal inspection. One of the most famous exams was for the eye disease known as trachoma. Examination was done with a buttonhook, a metal instrument used to button gloves. It was used to pull the eyelid back to exam for signs of this infection. Immigrants with medical problems were identified by marking their outer garments with white chalk. Abbreviations were used for the various problems, H for heart problems, Pg for pregnancy, E for eye problems, L for lameness . The intelligence of the immigrants was tested due to laws that had been passed excluding "idiots, imbeciles or morons and other mentally deficient persons." Students should be told that it was not always easy for medical examiners to test for mental deficiency. Students should be reminded that answers to questions asked by examiners might indicate just being stressed and nervous rather than from mental deficiency. It was often times very difficult to make the correct diagnosis. Immigrants who had obvious symptoms of mental or physical problems were sent to the examination room. Here, they would receive a more detailed examination. If they passed the examination they would be sent back to join the main group, If they did not pass, they would be held on the island in separate dormitories until they were cured so they could enter the United States. Immigrants not cleared for entry were deported back to their country of origin.
Group Three The Legal Inspection
Students must imagine they are about to question the immigrants about their personal life. After the medical inspection, the legal inspectors asked a series of questions already posed to the immigrants by the shipping companies. The inspectors asked the same kinds of questions to see if the answers matched.
The inspector would be assisted by interpreters when needed and a registry clerk recorded their responses. Immigrants were told that it was to their advantage to show letters from friends and relatives already living in the U.S. The questioning only lasted two to three minutes, but to those involved it probably seemed like forever. Immigrants who gave answers that were questionable were then sent to a special inquiry board. The boards of inquiry were independent tribunals. Their decisions were final and not subject to court review. Inconsistent responses might result in further examination. The objective was to exclude people who might become public charges, act immorally, or cause social unrest. The following questions are from Do People Grow on Trees by Ira Wolfman. These were typical questions asked by inspectors:
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1. What is your name?
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2. How old are you?
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3. Are you married or single
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4. What is your calling or occupation?
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5. Are you able to read or write?
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6. What is your nationality?
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7. Where was your last residence?
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8. Which U.S. seaport have you landed in?
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9. What is your final destination in the U.S.?
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10. Do you have a ticket to your final destination?
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11. Did you pay for your passage over? If not, who did?
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12. Do you have much money with you? More than $30.? How much less? More?
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13. Are you going to join a relative? What relative? Name ?Address?
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14. Have you ever been to the U.S. before?
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15. Have you ever been in prison? in a poorhouse or supported by charity?
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16. Are you a polygamist?
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17. Are you under contract, expressed or implied to perform labor in the U.S.?
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18. What is the condition of your health?
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19. Are you deformed or crippled? .