THE GOLDEN DOOR
This is the story of an immigrant passing through Ellis Island in the early 1900’s. Although the actual narrator is fictional, it is a story based on fact and the words of actual immigrants. Let it take you back to time passed…
I began to think we would never arrive. I was so tired, but the promise of freedom and opportunity made the trip bearable. America! Just the thought of America made me shiver with excitement. I was going to be an American someday and be somebody.
One day as the chill of the morning mist surrounded the ship, the crew spotted land. At the first sight of America, we all rushed to the side of the ship to look. New York looked like it was coming out of the sea. The Woolworth building, which was the highest building at the time, stood up tall and straight. A hush fell over the crowd as one by one we all saw the Statue of Liberty. I saw tears in some eyes, and when I reached up to touch my cheek, I found that it was also wet. As we got closer and closer to the lady of freedom, excitement began to sweep through the crowd. Everywhere people were crying and hugging. Even a little girl was clapping her hands for liberty.
When we arrived in New York Harbor another ship met ours and some men came on board. They were quarantine officers looking for epidemics. Finally, the men were gone, but we still had to stay on board the ship. We had to wait two days before we could leave. I would stand on the deck of the ship with the wind whipping my hair around and just look and look at America. I wanted to know what it was like to live there and who would be my friend. What are Americans like? I wondered.
Before we could go to America, we first had to pass through Ellis Island. One man called it the golden door. I liked to think of Ellis Island as a golden door. Once we made it through the door, we would truly be in America. All the steerage passengers had a tag put on them before boarding the ferry to Ellis Island. We were jammed tight and the stench was terrible. I was envious of the first and second class passengers. They didn’t have to go through more inspections.
Ellis Island was crowded. There were people and baggage everywhere. Some immigrants were so encumbered with baggage that they clenched their health certificates in their teeth. In the baggage, were everyone’s prized possessions. We couldn’t bring everything so we just brought what was most important to us. I mostly brought photographs and clothing. Other people had dinnerware, various momentos, and one lady even had a feather mattress. The inspectors looked through all our belongings. The inspectors cut open the feather mattress to make sure nothing was hidden inside. I know the feather mattress was important to her because she wept when the inspectors ruined it. I’m glad nothing happened to my pictures, but I felt sorry for the lady.
There was so much noise and so many languages I couldn’t understand. We had another tag put on us so the officials would know we didn’t speak English. One man from my ship knew English and didn’t need a tag. We went into a big room and there were thousands of people lined up and sitting down. It was unpleasant in that big room, and we had to wait so long. Some children cried. We didn’t talk much to other immigrants because we were all so scared. What if we couldn’t go to America, and they sent us back?
The immigration laws and American bureaucracy were complex. Some of the officials hollered at us like we weren't human beings. It was difficult to understand the English words. We had to be examined by a doctor, and that was the first time I ever saw a doctor. We also had a legal examination. They interrogated me for several minutes, and I thought it was like the day of judgement. Some people had to have another legal hearing before they could go to America. While we were waiting in lines, some officials marked people with chalk. They didn't know why they had been marked, and I saw some people wipe it off. A lady from my boat was asked to read something in our language, but she didn't know how to read. They might not let her into America if she couldn't read. A man from our boat told her to look at the page and say the Lord's prayer.
After a long time, the officials were finally going to let me go to America. I didn't have to be detained like so many others, and I wasn't going to be deported. It was America at last! While we rode the ferry from Ellis Island to New York City, I thought of all the people I had seen. There were all kinds of people from all walks of life. At Ellis Island there was no upper or lower class. Each face had a separate story to tell. Why had they come to America? Who had they left behind? We came from different countries, and we spoke different languages, but at Ellis Island we were all immigrants with an American dream.
Most interesting Ellis Island Site!!!!! (click here)
OUTLINE FOR STORY TELLING
I. Spotting land
II. Arriving in New York
Harbor
III.Passing through Ellis Island
A. Baggage
B. Lines
C. Examinations
IV. Conclusion
IDEAS FOR STORY TELLING:
1. Take on a character such as a
young lady or old man.
2. Dress in clothes
representing a certain country
3. Use an old suitcase or bundle.
4. Hold an old black and
white photograph.
5. Introduce the story using
an anecdote from your own family history if possible.
QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES FOR
FOURTH THROUGH SIXTH GRADERS:
1. Where were immigrants
required to go first before entering America?
2. What is the name of the statue that stands off the coast of New
York?
3. In which harbor is
Ellis Island located?
4. Why do you think
Ellis Island was nicknamed "The Golden Door"?
5. Describe how you
might feel if you were an immigrant coming to America.
6. If you had to leave
your country and could only take three things with you, what would they be
and why?
7. Write a short
paragraph that tells what the immigrant might have done upon arriving in
New York City.
8. Research how The
Statue of Liberty came to stand off the coast of New York.
9. Find out how long
Ellis Island was used for immigration purposes.
10.What new
information did you learn from reading the story?
ANSWERS:
1. Ellis Island
2. The Statue of
Liberty
3. New York Harbor
4.-
8. Student Responses
9. 1892-1954
10. Student Responses
SOURCES CONSULTED FOR STORY
California Museum of Photography
Ellis Island: Through America's Gateway (I-Channel's special presentation on Ellis Island)
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum
(All web sites are linked in the story)
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