THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE

Countries of Origin (1820-1940)
Austria, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, China, Japan, Turkey, Russia
Also many Jews

ELLIS ISLAND CONDITIONS

• Often, one family member would go to America first
• The family member would save money for others to follow
• Travelers would have to wait for days in the port
• They were questioned and examined medically
• Ships were very crowded, dark, and unclean- 1 in 10 died

ELLIS ISLAND

• Opened in 1892
• Closed in 1954
• Millions of immigrants passed through Ellis Island
• About 40% of U.S. Citizens can trace an ancestor back to Ellis Island
• Many people came trying to escape poverty

LIVING AND WORKING CONDITIONS

• Lived in overcrowded tenements
• Tenements had no heating, windows, or proper plumbing
• Lots of poverty and crime
• Factory labor- long hours, strict rules, unskilled labor, little money
• Many women and children worked

ETHNIC COMMUNITIES IN AMERICA

• Big cities had many ethnic communities
• Communities developed newspapers in their native language
• Developed fraternal and religious organizations

ASSIMILATION PROBLEMS

• Immigrants tried to retain previous culture
• Also wanted to be accepted as Americans

"AMERICAN DREAM?"

• Immigrants were viewed as being less Amerian
• Were still very poor- no instantaneous wealth
• Cities were dirty and not as expected
• Immigrant's conditions hadn't improved

VIDEOS FROM ELLIS ISLAND