THE UNITED STATES : A NATION OF MANY NATIONS
Between 1880 and 1920, 23 million immigrants arrived in the United States. Most of them came from poor towns and villages in southern and eastern Europe. They had one thing in common. They believed that in the United States, life was going to be better for them. It was the land of freedom and prosperity.
Most of these immigrants were able to get just enough money to pay for trip across the ocean by boat. Many arrived without any money to their names. Often the father of a family came first and found work. Then he sent for his wife and children.
The trip for poor immigrants was terrible. Men, women, and children stayed in crowded and smelly compartments, deep down in the hold of the ship. They had no showers. There were no dining rooms for them. They went up on deck to get food from huge pots. This was the price they had to pay to get to the "New World".
Here is one immigrant's memory of his arrival in the United States from Italy at the age of mime: "I"ll never forget my first impressions of America. The deck was full of passengers, and I stood there, eyes wide open, holding my mother's hand, while my father lifted my baby sister to see the statue of Liberty".
They saw the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, but they weren't free to enter America right away. When immigrants landed in New York, ferryboats took them to Ellis Island.
At Ellis Island, immigration officers questioned new arrivals, and a doctor examined them. Those who failed the medical exam had to go back to their country. Sometimes if a child was ill, the entire family had to return. Ellis Island became known as Heartbreak Island among immigrants.
Life was hard at first for many immigrants, who worked long hours for low pay. They did not find the streets paved with gold. Many lived in overcrowded buildings in the poor sections of large cities. But often their children managed to have more prosperous lives.
Today