Immigration has always been a curious topic to me. I chose to write the word 'unhappy' on the board. I have always thought there must be something that was making them unhappy in the country they came from to make them leave. Whether they come to America or to another country for a better life, there is always a driving factor.
Someone wrote Ellis Island. That made my head spin. There were so many things to think about Ellis Island. It's where our ancestors came through when they immigrated, seeking a better life. So many people, families and ethnicities came through the doors at Ellis Island. The people were put through examinations to ensure they didn't have any lice of disease to bring into the country. Many were held in quarantine until cleared by a doctor. Even more people were denied entry to the country, giving Ellis Island the second nick name of 'Island of tears'. According to the Ellis Island website, there are 25 buildings on the south side of the island that remain unrestored. These buildings were used for housing those in quarantine and those receiving psychiatric treatment. Here is the link to the website. It has many interesting facts I was unaware of and I'm sure many others are as well. http://www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm
Ellis Island became the beginning of as many as 12 million amazing stories of people searching for something better, hoping to achieve their dreams. 12 million people passed through Ellis Island, wanting a new life. http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gregkrenzelok/ellisislandaaa.jpg
The information on that Ellis Island website was extremely interesting and I really enjoyed searching around on it. Thanks for posting that! It's crazy to think that just about double the population of Wisconsin passed through Ellis Island.
ReplyDeleteLike what Molly mentioned in the comment above, the information about Ellis Island is very informative. It's crazy to see how far the immigration process as come along since the olden days. We went from quarantining people at that time to almost "interrogating" people before they can immigrate here. So again, it's nice to see how the times has changed.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was an amazing time in history, when this country began to change into what it is today. So many stories, so much fear, sadness and hope. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4wzVuXPznk Here is a link to real stories and images, what people felt and thought at the time. I toured Ellis Island last year and was so sad after seeing the images. The truth of what so many went through is heartbreaking. I am sad, but also so proud that so many clung to family, determined to make money or a better life. They came with nothing but that determination. We should not forget Ellis Island, the real decisions the government made. I can look at much of it now and saw how horrible it is, but at the time I know they were doing what they thought was best to protect the nation. I wonder if some of the immigration decisions we are making now will be looked at someday and people will saw how horrible we were. We do need to continue to question ourselves and our government and do what is best for mankind.
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