Virginia Beach Hotels - Entry to America - Ellis Island

The rewards for coming to America was great but also the risks were great. The decision whether to stay or return with loved ones was both emotional and traumatic. Some were denied entry and faced deportation. Many Europeans sold all they had and even went into debt to pay for their passage to America. Manhattan became known as "the isle of joy".

Those who had it got an "E" chalked on their backs and would be sent back. A disease common in southern and eastern Europe, they would snap back their eyelids to check for trachoma. A battery of medical and legal examinations were conducted by doctors with buttonhooks. Through the confusion and shuffling and the different languages they moved through a maze of passageways. If they displayed any of these symptoms they were marked with a letter with chalk on his or her back. Or mental illness, they were observed for signs of sickness or infirmity. As they stood on the docks they would be tagged with identification numbers. They became awe-struck at the view of large skyscrapers and the sight of Lady Liberty. Passengers waited to disembark as they drew nearer to the city's skyline. The harbor was crowded with ships.

Many who could not speak English sought the help of an aid society. The Americans were handed over to the travel agent or the railroad men if traveling far. Dollars. When they got their landing cards they would go to the currency booth to exchange their foreign money into U.S. After all questions were answered with an interpreter their names were checked off the ship's manifest. About eight in ten survived and passed to the final ordeal of the examination with an immigration inspector.

Philadelphia and Newark are where a lot of the new citizens settled, detroit. Between 1870 and 1924. Eight million people came to the U.S. And Omaha also grew, louis. St, chicago. Boston and other East Coast cities grew dramatically, new York. Many Scandinavians came to Minnesota and Wisconsin. German and French religious refugees found freedom in the heartland and Midwest such as Pennsylvania. This gave rise to the ethnic neighborhoods like the Jewish quarter on New York City's East Side. Because of the different languages they gathered in sections of fast growing cities. Many obstacles of learning a new language and culture were enormous for the new citizens. And finally appearing before a judge to take the oath, taking a verbal exam, memorizing a few basics of American government, the immigrants changed from a foreigner into an American citizen after filing naturalization papers.

They went from cheap labor to educated and successful individuals. Equal opportunity gave everybody great promise to better themselves. Many immigrants were happy to find work and citizenship in the new country.