Breann Hutchison English 1 Honor September 11, 2011 Immigration Many immigrants went through a lot of hardship to be able

to start a new and better life in America. The boat rides to Ellis Island were no relaxing procedure. Often, the boats were dirty with mice and bugs. Very few people stayed in private cabins where they had comfortable bed and clean rooms. The mass majorities of the immigrants stayed in the bottom of the ships and were called steerage passengers. They were all packed in like cattle and had little fresh air. As many as ten percent of steerage passengers would usually die before even getting to Ellis Island because of the filthy conditions they were in. The open deck space reserved for steerage passengers is usually very limited, and situated in the worst part of the ship subject to the most violent motion, to the dirt from the stacks and the odors from the hold and galleys. The only provisions for eating are frequently shelves or benches along the sides or in the passages of sleeping compartments. Dining rooms are rare, toilets and washrooms were completely inadequate. (Knowlton, MaryLee, and Dale Anderson. "Coming to America." Arriving at Ellis Island. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2002. 4+. Print.) Once at Ellis Island, immigrants had to go through a series of being questioned and examined. Those who did not pass all of the tests were sent back to where they had come from and because of this immigrants arrival in America was filled with anxiety. They would first be examined by two doctors and if any suspicion arouse would then be sent for further inspection. The first doctor checked for physical and mental abnormalities then following with the second doctor who watched for contagious and infectious diseases. (Freedman, Russell. "Coming Over."

Immigrant Kids. New York: Dutton, 1980. 1+. Print.) If you passed the inspection of both doctors you were sent to registration clerk where they were asked many questions such as your name, nationality, occupation, and if able to read and write. For most immigrants it would take about a day to go through all of the examining, if not longer.