Ellis Island

This port of immigration opened it's doors to foreigners yearning to come to America in 1892, a time when many Irish immigrants and women were arriving to the country. Timothy J. Meagher, illustrates the fame and notoriety of this famed and historical immigration station by arguing that, "...Ellis Island would come to rival and, perhaps, surpass Plymouth Rock as the nation's mythical birthplace" (1).

A photo of the Great Hall at Ellis Island, early 20th Century (1)

Processing

In just three short decades, Ellis Island processed more than 12 million people (2). Almost a quarter of those immigrants were from Ireland. While first and second class passengers were not required to undergo the inspection process at Ellis Island, consisting of a mental and physical examination, due to the belief that if a person could afford to buy a ticket, then he or she was less likely, "...to become a public charge in America due to medical or legal reasons. The Federal government felt that these more affluent passengers would not end up in institutions, hospitals or become a burden to the state" (3). 

This belief was not held up in regards to third class, or "steerage", passengers. It was these men and women that suffered nearly unbearable conditions on the ships, forced to live in crowded and unsanitary conditions for weeks. Upon their arrival, they were transported to Ellis Island where they underwent mental and physical examinations, as well as legal inspections two agencies, the United States Public Health Service and the Bureau of Immigration(4). Many of these third class immigrants included the Irish, who came to America with very little. 

For many who had their papers in order and appeared to be in good health, their inspection, which was conducted in the Great Hall as pictured above, only lasted a few hours and then they were free to enter the country. With practice, doctors were able to conduct "six second physicals" by being able to spot a variety of diseases and medical conditions at just a glance (5). For others, admittance to the country was not as simple. If an immigrant appeared to have a contagious disease that could jeopardize the population or appeared to be a future legal problem or public charge. 

Immigrants Being Given Mental Test at Ellis Island

An "Island of Tears"?

Despite the number of people processed at this immigration station, a small percentage, about two percent, were rejected and prevented from entering into the United States. The nickname, the "Island of Tears", was given to Ellis Island for its reputation of treating immigrants poorly and without respect. While not every immigrant was treated with the utmost respect or curtesy due to the fast paced inspection process, the majority were treated fairly and quickly sent on their way to begin their lives in America. Those who were rejected and detained told stories of poor treatment, discrimination, and the inability to meet up with loved ones or begin their new lives. 

What is Ellis Island's Connection to Female Irish Immigration?

Because the majority of immigrants to pass through Ellis Island were those who were poor steerage passengers, many of those included Irish women who could not afford a first or second class ticket, especially if they were single travelers. Therefore, Ellis Island processed a numbers of Irish women, making the arrival at Ellis Island an aspect of the immigration process for those women arriving to America in the late 19th century. Irish women will also always represent in important ethnic dynamic for the history of the immigration station because an Irish immigrant girl, age 15, was the first immigrant to be processed when Ellis Island opened. 

Want to Learn More?

Interested in the history of Irish immigration or even immigration as a whole? Visit Ellis Island and search through countless pictures, testimonies, and statistics to help paint a fuller picture of this American story. 

Image Sources:

1. The Great Hall at Ellis Island. Ellis Island Photo Albums. http://www.ellisisland.org/photoalbums/ellis_island_album105.asp. Curtesy of the National Park Service. 

2. Immigrants Being Given Mental Test at Ellis Island. Ellis Island Photo Albums. http://www.ellisisland.org/photoalbums/ellis_island_album114.asp. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service, Statue of Liberty National Monument. 

Sources:

1. Meagher, Timothy J. "The Fireman on the Stairs: Communal Loyalties in the Making of Irish America". In Making  the Irish American: History and Heritage of the Irish in the United States. Edited by J. J. Lee and Marion R. Casey. New York: New York University Press, 2006, 631. 
2. Ellis Island. "Irish Immigrant Annie Moore First to Pass Through Ellis Island." http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/Annie_Moore.asp. Accessed on May 7, 2013. 

3. Ellis Island. "Ellis Island- History". http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ellis_island_history.asp. 

4. Ellis Island. "Ellis Island- History". http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ellis_island_history.asp. 

5. Ellis Island. "Ellis Island- History". http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ellis_island_history.asp.