Ellis Island 1891-1924: Immigration, Public Health, and the American Workforce

FAIN: BH-50205-07

Save Ellis Island, Inc. (Mt. Olive, NJ 07828-1388)
Dorothy W. Hartman (Project Director: March 2007 to July 2009)

Two one-week workshops for 80 school teachers on the history of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century immigration at Ellis Island.

Save Ellis Island (SEI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the National Park Service partner for the restoration and reuse of the U.S. Public Health Service hospitals on Ellis Island, will convene two one-week workshops investigating the impact of immigration to America in the early twentieth century. Ellis Island was the gateway to America, where 12 million immigrants first set foot in the country, some to continue on in a few hours, some to be held back because of the 1891 legislation restricting immigrants' entry for reasons that included "loathsome and contagious disease." Using the power of place on Ellis Island, and the resources there, the workshop will examine the implications of federal immigration legislation at the time in light of contemporary economic, social and political thought. The workshop will include presentations by scholars, tours of Ellis Island's hospital buildings and Immigration Museum, field trips, and opportunities for teachers to research primary source material.