Read the excerpt from Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman.About one immigrant out of every five or six was detained for additional examinations or questioning.The writer Angelo Pellegrini has recalled his own family’s detention at Ellis Island:"We lived there for three days – Mother and we five children, the youngest of whom was three years old. Because of the rigorous physical examination that we had to submit to, particularly of the eyes, there was this terrible anxiety that one of us might be rejected. And if one of us was, what would the rest of the family do? My sister was indeed momentarily rejected; she had been so ill and had cried so much that her eyes were absolutely bloodshot, and Mother was told, "Well, we can’t let her in.” But fortunately, Mother was an indomitable spirit and finally made them understand that if her child had a few hours’ rest and a little bit to eat she would be all right. In the end we did get through."
Read Edward Corsi’s quotation from the book Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman.Edward Corsi, who later became United States Commissioner of Immigration, was a ten-year-old Italian immigrant when he sailed into New York harbor in 1907:"Giuseppe and I held tightly to Stepfather’s hands, while Liberta and Helvetia clung to Mother. Passengers all about us were crowding against the rail. Jabbered conversations, sharp cries, laughs and cheers – a steadily rising din filled the air. Mothers and fathers lifted up babies so that they too could see, off to the left, the Statue of Liberty."
Read the passage from Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman.Those who could not pass all the exams would be detained; some would be sent back to Europe. And so their arrival in America was filled with great anxiety. . . .The writer Angelo Pellegrini has recalled his own family’s detention at Ellis Island:"We lived there for three days – Mother and we five children, the youngest of whom was three years old. Because of the rigorous physical examination that we had to submit to, particularly of the eyes, there was this terrible anxiety that one of us might be rejected. And if one of us was, what would the rest of the family do? My sister was indeed momentarily rejected; she had been so ill and had cried so much that her eyes were absolutely bloodshot, and Mother was told, "Well, we can’t let her in.” But fortunately, Mother was an indomitable spirit and finally made them understand that if her child had a few hours’ rest and a little bit to eat she would be all right. In the end we did get through."
Read the topic from Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman.The immigrants often received rough treatment.
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Read Edward Corsi’s quotation from the book Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman.Edward Corsi, who later became United States Commissioner of Immigration, was a ten-year-old Italian immigrant when he sailed into New York harbor in 1907:"My first impressions of the New World will always remain etched in my memory, particularly that hazy October morning when I first saw Ellis Island. The steamer Florida, fourteen days out of Naples, filled to capacity with 1600 natives of Italy, had weathered one of the worst storms in our captain’s memory; and glad we were, both children and grown-ups, to leave the open sea and come at last through the Narrows into the Bay."
Read the excerpt from Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman.The writer Angelo Pellegrini has recalled his own family’s detention at Ellis Island:"We lived there for three days – Mother and we five children, the youngest of whom was three years old. Because of the rigorous physical examination that we had to submit to, particularly of the eyes, there was this terrible anxiety that one of us might be rejected. And if one of us was, what would the rest of the family do? My sister was indeed momentarily rejected; she had been so ill and had cried so much that her eyes were absolutely bloodshot, and Mother was told, "Well, we can’t let her in.” But fortunately, Mother was an indomitable spirit and finally made them understand that if her child had a few hours’ rest and a little bit to eat she would be all right. In the end we did get through."Most immigrants passed through Ellis Island in about one day. Carrying all their worldly possessions, they left the examination hall and waited on the dock for the ferry that would take them to Manhattan, a mile away. Some of them still faced long journeys overland before they reached their final destination. Others would head directly for the teeming immigrant neighborhoods of New York City.
Read the excerpt from Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman.Now the examinations began. First the immigrants were examined by two doctors of the United States Health Service. One doctor looked for physical and mental abnormalities. When a case aroused suspicion, the immigrant received a chalk mark on the right shoulder for further inspection: L for lameness, H for heart, X for mental defects, and so on.The second doctor watched for contagious and infectious diseases. He looked especially for infections of the scalp and at the eyelids for symptoms of trachoma, a blinding disease. Since trachoma caused more than half of all medical detentions, the doctor was greatly feared. He stood directly in the immigrant’s path. With a swift movement, he would grab the immigrant’s eyelid, pull it up, and peer beneath it. If all was well, the immigrant was passed on.
Read the excerpt from Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman.The voyage was an ordeal, but it was worth it. They were on their way to America.The great majority of immigrants landed in New York City, at America’s busiest port. They never forgot their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.Edward Corsi, who later became United States Commissioner of Immigration, was a ten-year-old Italian immigrant when he sailed into New York harbor in 1907:"My first impressions of the New World will always remain etched in my memory, particularly that hazy October morning when I first saw Ellis Island. The steamer Florida, fourteen days out of Naples, filled to capacity with 1600 natives of Italy, had weathered one of the worst storms in our captain’s memory; and glad we were, both children and grown-ups, to leave the open sea and come at last through the Narrows into the Bay. My mother, my stepfather, my brother Giuseppe, and my two sisters, Liberta and Helvetia, all of us together, happy that we had come through the storm safely, clustered on the foredeck for fear of separation and looked with wonder on this miraculous land of our dreams."
Read Edward Corsi’s quotation from the book Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman.Edward Corsi, who later became United States Commissioner of Immigration, was a ten-year-old Italian immigrant when he sailed into New York harbor in 1907:"The officers of the ship . . . went striding up and down the decks shouting orders and directions and driving the immigrants before them. Scowling and gesturing, they pushed and pulled the passengers, herding us into separate groups as though we were animals. A few moments later we came to our dock, and the long journey was over."
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