Immigration in the Early 19th Century and Ellis Island

Immigration to North America began long before the United States became a nation. This website will focus on the time periods between the early 19th century and present day. Immigration before the 19th century included, but was not limited to, Vikings, the puritans escaping religious prosecution, and the forced migration of Africans for slave labor. There were also early explorers such as Amerigo Vespucci, Ferdinand Magellan, Christopher Columbus, Hernando Cortes, and many others.

Immigration in the Early 1800s

The nineteenth century was known as the “Great Wave of Migration,” according to Historian Edwin Guillet. The United States did not start counting those coming into the country through data until roughly around 1820. Between 1820 and 1920, an influx of immigrants arrived in the United States from various places that included different parts of Europe and China. There was what was considered an “old immigrant wave” from 1820 to 1880 and a “new immigrant wave” from 1880 to 1920. This “old immigrant wave” consisted mostly of people from Northern Europe consisting of countries like Germany, Ireland, and Scandinavia (LeMay 2015). The primary concern at that time was “why were people leaving in masses from their country of origin?” According to the Ellis Island Foundation, rising political instability, economic distress, and religious persecution plagued Europe in the 1800s. This fueled the largest mass human migration in world history.

The Great Potato Famine

Between 1845 and 1855 over 1.5 million adults and children arrived in the U.S. from Ireland. This was a result of the Potato Famine that killed more than a million people within five years. Many of the Irish immigrants had left because “…disease had devastated Ireland’s potato crops, leaving millions without food” (Constitutional Rights Foundation). It is worth noting that the Irish were never detained in anything resembling a detention center although a lot of them did become indentured servants. Like the Chinese, the Irish immigrants took whatever jobs they could find. These included jobs like loading ships at the docks, sweeping streets, and cleaning stables. Similar to the Chinese, the Irish immigrants were not well-liked and were treated poorly. They also faced religious prejudice since the majority of them were Catholic. The Irish were not treated anywhere as bad as the Chinese due to underlying racial undertones in the U.S. The Chinese were non-English speaking and were not of European, or “white,” ancestry. As anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiment spread throughout the U.S., newspaper advertisements for jobs and housing consistently ended with the following statement: No Irish need apply.

The Creation of Ellis Island

In 1892, a new structure on Ellis Island began to receive immigrants on January 1st. This was the first dedicated detention facility in the world (Freedom for Immigrants). Over the following 62 years, more than 12 million immigrants would arrive in the United States through Ellis Island, including the Irish and Chinese. Ellis Island did not detain people unless they were suspected of having a disease. According to the Ellis Island Foundation, most immigrants entered the U.S. through New York Harbor. Other ports of entry included cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, and New Orleans. “The great steamship companies like the White Star, Red Star, Cunard, and Hamburg-America Lines played a significant role in the history of Ellis Island and immigration as a whole” (Ellis Island Foundation). The first and second class passengers arriving to the New York Harbor were not required to undergo an inspection process at Ellis Island and instead received inspection aboard the ship. It was theorized that if a person could afford to purchase a first or second class ticket then they were affluent and less likely to become a public charge in America for medical or legal reasons. Sick passengers and those with legal problems, however, were sent to Ellis Island for further inspection, regardless of their class. Unfortunately, “steerage,” or third class passengers, had a different experience. They often traveled in crowded and unsanitary conditions close to the bottom of steamships. The could spend up to two weeks seasick in their bunks during the rough Atlantic crossings. Steerage passengers, upon arrival, would be forced to board a ferry to Ellis Island for detailed inspection.

Continue Reading: The First Exclusion

Last edited April 26, 2021.