Reasons for Immigration to America
There were many reasons motivating immigrants to journey to America.  Their decisions were as unique and different as the immigrants themselves, but religious persecution, political oppression, and economic hardship were the three main factors motivating immigrants to journey to the “land of opportunity.”  Most immigrants to the United States entered through New York while others entered through Boston, Savannah, and San Francisco.  The first and second class boat passengers weren’t required to be processed in Ellis Island unless their onboard inspections disclosed major problems; most of them were dropped off on land.  Their travel conditions were quite pleasant compared to those faced by third or “steerage” class passengers.  (Liberty State Park)

The On-board Experience
Unfortunately, there was no limit on the number of steerage tickets sold; this resulted in huge numbers of people being crammed like cattle into the ship’s lower levels.  Each steerage ticket cost about $30; steamship companies made huge profits since it cost only about 60 cents a day to feed each immigrant--they could make a net profit of $45,000 to $60,000 on each crossing.
    "For most immigrants, especially early arrivals, the experience of steerage was like a nightmare.  (At one point in time the mortality rate of each voyage was 10 percent.)  The conditions were so crowded, so dismally dark, so unsanitary, so foul smelling, that they were the single most cause of America’s early immigration laws.  Unfortunately, the laws were almost impossible to enforce; steerage conditions continued to remain deplorable almost beyond belief...  In spite of the miserable conditions, the immigrants had faith in the future.  To pass the time--a crossing could take anywhere from 10 days to more than a month depending on the ship and weathering--they would play cards, sing, dance, and talk...talk...talk." (Liberty State Park)
Many stories would circulate about America and Ellis Island and passengers experienced considerable apprehension with rumors about immigrants being rejected and deported.

Arrival at Ellis Island
When the immigrants finally arrived, their baggage was checked and the passengers were herded like cattle to the Main building where they would wait in line for registration and inspection.  Men and women were divided; families hoped they would eventually be reunited.  Each immigrant received brief “snapshot diagnosis” medical exams, and if a problem was suspected the immigrant received a dreaded chalk mark signifying further examination was needed.  The most feared was the eye exam, which involved lifting the eye lid with a button hook in search of the contagious disease, trachoma; should this disease be found, the individual was most likely deported. (History Channel)  The next step involved questioning from an inspector; most immigrants relied on the use of interpreters, many of whom saved immigrants from deportation with their quick thinking.  One such interpreter was a future New York City mayor, Fiorella La Guardia.  The two main causes of deportation were the existence of a contagious disease or a suspicion of becoming a public charge or an illegal contract laborer.  Ellis Island is also called the Island of Tears, because of the anguish some families experienced when their members were rejected and deported.  Once all tests were passed, the immigrants reunited with their families to be ferried to New York and America where they hoped to lead a better life.  (Seitz, Sharon)

A Young Immigrant's Experience
I have a personal interest in Ellis Island because my maternal grandmother was one of the many immigrants who came through Ellis Island; she remembers traveling from Germany in 1921 as a second class passenger.  She was six years old when she and her mother shared a cabin with two other people.  She remembers running around the ship and playing with other children.  As she was exploring the boat, a man gave her an orange (available only to first class passengers); she had never had an orange and was so happy to taste such a sweet fruit.  Although first and second class passengers generally did not go through inspection at Ellis, for some reason my grandmother’s group did.  She remembers how some people were denied entry because of problems such as lice.  She also recalls eating ice-cream there and thinking that “It is so cold, shouldn’t it be heated up?”  (Bartman)