Title: 1907 - Mass Immigration to America

 

About: In the first decade of the 20th Century, an average of one million immigrants per year arrived in the United States. Immigration officials reviewed about 5,000 immigrants per day during peak times at Ellis Island.

 

Two-thirds of those individuals came from eastern, southern and central Europe.  The all-time daily high occurred on April 17, 1907, when 11,747 immigrants arrived. 

 

Generally, immigrants did not spend long at Ellis Island - between two to five hours being processed. Arrivals were subjected to a medical examination and asked 29 questions including name, occupation, and the amount of money carried. It was important to the American government that the new arrivals could support themselves and have money to get started. Some unskilled workers were rejected because they were considered “likely to become a public charge.” About 2 percent were denied admission and sent back to their countries of origin for reasons such as having a chronic contagious disease, criminal background, or insanity.

 

Mass immigration would transform American society and culture, while forging the idea of a nation united in diversity. Today, over 100 million Americans — about one-third to forty percent of the population of the US —can trace their ancestry to the immigrants who first arrived in America at Ellis Island before dispersing to points all over the country.

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Decade: 1900s

Year: 1907

Region: North America

Country: USA

Society: Migration
Society: Economic
Society: Culture

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Type: Historical Event

Impact: 6

Artist: Bryan Willian 

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Group: Genesis

Number: 07/100

Price: 0.6 ETH

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