This document is the report of Immigration Service by the Office of the Commissioner of Ellis Island. The two excerpts we are going to focus on are the list of disease and conditions, then the lists of the race of immigrants in the fiscal year ended on June 30th, 1909. This document is very valuable because it makes us aware of the huge amount of diverse health problem that the immigrants faced whether in their country of origin or even during their travel to Ellis Island. The document open eyes on the enormous diversity of origins, the list counts 40 distinctive races according to the Immigration Service. The document shows that in the early 20th century, people who wanted to reach the US to start a new life were coming from everywhere in the world. This item teaches how Immigration shaped and impacted American society of today.
This source is the extract of a debate in the House of Representatives in April 1921 that transcribes Lucian W. Parrish’s speech about immigration. In this document, Parrish is warning people of the Congress about massive immigration. He is worried about « foreign element » and wants a country « true to the American thought and the American ideals ». He proposes to stop immigration. This speech well represents the huge section of people who were against immigration for several reasons. This item exposes the fear that immigration generated and its consequences on certain citizens’ minds, especially after the war that devastated Europe. This source is very interesting because it enlightens many of the reasons why some people, from the government or not, were suspicious about Europeans immigrants arriving in the US after the First World War.