Danielle D’Erasmo CSL570

Many immigrants left their homelands because they felt that a better life was waiting for them in America. Some had lost their homes to disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Others left because there was not enough food. In the mid-1800s a bad disease killed many of the crops people had planted and a famine resulted. The lack of food caused almost two million people to die. Families felt they had to move to a place that provided a better life and future for their children.

Immigrants came to America from their homeland for many different reasons. Some had heard interesting and fascinating stories about the "GOLDEN LAND" called America. They believed that the "Golden Land" meant that they could get good fertile land, get good jobs, have plenty to eat, and send their children to good schools.

Sometimes a family would come all at once but many times they would come separately. The oldest child and father might immigrate to the new country while the mother and other children would stay behind. After the father and oldest child had worked and earned money for the passage of the others, they would send for them.

The immigrants could not usually bring every thing they owned. The ship companies would only allow them a certain amount of luggage. The amount they could bring depended upon the type of fare they paid. Although some people just had bundles tied together, others took cardboard boxes, trunks, suitcases, baskets and leather sacks.

Since the United States government made the ship companies responsible for returning any unhealthy people back to their homelands, the ship companies had a doctors check passengers before they boarded. They would cut men and boy's hair very short and comb women and girl's hair carefully to prevent the spread of lice.

The voyage from the west coast of Europe across the Atlantic Ocean to to Ellis Island usually took about 40 days. Sometimes however, it could take as long as six months.

If you had first or second class tickets you would have a private place to sleep and food would be served in a dining room. However, if you had a steerage class ticket, (the majority of immigrants were in this group), you would sleep and eat on the bottom level of the ship. The crew would feed you lukewarm soup, boiled potatoes, and stringy beef. The beds were narrow and sometimes stacked three high.

If the weather was good, people would try and stay on the deck. The children would play games such as marbles and dominoes. They also spent time with people from many different places and learned words from other languages. Mothers would wash their children's hair on the deck. Other people would do chores on the ship with the sailors.

The immigrants faced many difficulties on their journey across the ocean. Besides dangerous storms they also had the possibilities of becoming seriously ill and dying.

Many immigrants' first view of the United States was at Ellis Island in New York. After leaving the ship they were examined by doctors and other specialists. If they were healthy they were allowed to leave Ellis Island and start their new lives. Some immigrants were returned to their homeland.