Island of Hopes or Island of Tears

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Island of Hopes or Island of Tears?
ELLIS ISLAND
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Ellis Island is located just south of
Manhattan in New York Harbor. It was the
gateway for more than twelve million immigrants
coming to the United States between 1892 and
1954.
12,000,000
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Steamships like the one pictured above
carried immigrants to new hopes and dreams in the
United States. They left their native countries
in order to have religious freedom, freedom of
speech, or better economic opportunites.
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The Statue of Liberty stood in the harbor to
welcome the weary travelers. Ferries met the
ships to carry the immigrants to Ellis Island
for processing before they would be permitted to
enter the United States.
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Before leaving the steamships to board the
ferries, each immigrant had numbered tags pinned
to their clothing. These tags displayed two
numbers indicating the ships manifest page and
line number on which his or her name was
recorded. These numbers would later be used by
the inspectors on Ellis Island to question each
immigrant.
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Once the immigrants left the ferries they
found themselves in very long lines.
While standing in line, doctors and inspectors
scanned them for illnesses. Often, children were
asked their names to see if they could talk and
hear. As the line continued to move, doctors
examined each one for a variety of illnesses,
disabilities, or physical conditions.
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One of the most dreaded inspectors were
the buttonhook men who checked under the
eyelid for a very contagious eye disease.
Those who appeared sick were marked with blue
chalk on their clothing. Another doctor
would check them to decide if they could go to
the Ellis Island Hospital for treatment or be
sent back to the steamship to return to the
country they had left. Using the blue
chalk, the inspectors developed a letter code to
represent several reasons for further
inspection.
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For example
Pg pregnant K hernia Ft feet
X feeble minds
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If the immigrants passed all levels of the
inspection line, they were sent to the Registry
Hall to be questioned individually. Information
from the numbered tags on their clothing was
used to record personal
information.
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The inspector asked them their age,
occupation, marital status, and destination. If
all went well, the immigrant was cleared to enter
the United States. If not, they could ask for a
hearing before a special Board of Inquiry.
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After completion of successful inspection,
the immigrants left the Registry Hall to go down
the Stairs of Separation to begin their journey
through the gateway to a new life as an American.
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When the
When the Department of Immigration Services
was transferred to Manhattan, Ellis Island
closed in 1954. President Ronald Reagan began a
campaign to raise funds to restore the Statue of
Liberty and Ellis Island in 1982. After
completion of restoration eight years later,
Ellis Island was reopened as a museum.