Many of you may know of the infamous Ellis Island: its story, its place in history, its legacy. But… what sides of the story have been left out or largely forgotten? Who are the faces behind Ellis Island and what was their experience truly like?
If you seek an answer to any of the above questions, this section of the digital exhibition may satisfy your curiosity. Ellis Island opened its doors in 1892 and is famous for mass processing of immigrants from many countries. However, for many, the immigration process was not as simple as common convention holds. With a focus on the health experience of the immigrants passing through Ellis Island, this exhibition takes a deeper look at the missing pieces of the story: what it meant to be an immigrant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and how their experience relates to the immigrant health experience today.
Ellis Island—in all its fame and notoriety as a place that welcomed the tired, the poor, the huddled masses—is a bit ambiguous. There is much that still remains unknown and there are still countless stories untold. Donald Roberts is just one of the many ‘average’ immigrants whose stories are beginning to be uncovered and brought to light as part of the Ellis Island narrative as a whole. Catherine Gaetano Gallippi’s account provides us with a look at the invasive nature of the medical exam at Ellis Island, a process through which all immigrants were required to undergo. Although Ellis Island no longer processes immigrants, in recognizing the processes of the past, we are able to gain knowledge that may assist us in understanding the immigration process of our present. It is our hope that this section of the exhibition will clear away some of the haze of the smokescreen that lies over much of Ellis Island’s history.
Our first chapter gives you a look at the immigration process through an exploration of two immigrant narratives—one that is well-known and one that is a little more obscure. The second chapter provides contextual information and background to the Ellis Island experience through a look at its predecessor, Castle Garden, and the medical screening process for immigrants prior to 1892. The third chapter delves into the medical processes and role of medical personnel on the Island. The concluding chapter defines the immigrant demographics in the United States today and highlights contemporary immigration through the medical screening process.
To get started, click on any of the chapter titles below.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1- There’s More Than Moore: The Narratives of Ellis Island
Chapter 3- Medical Screening and Doctors at Ellis Island
Chapter 4- Immigration and Medical Screening Today
