IMMIGRANT VOICES IMMIGRANT VOICES IMMIGRATION REGION ASIA AMERICAN CULTURE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION INTRODUCTION DURING THE 1800S MILLIONS OF IMMIGRANTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD CAME TO THE UNITED STATES FROM JANUARY 1892 TO NOVEMBER 1954 ELLIS ISLAND IN NEW YORK CITY WAS THE PLACE WHERE MANY IMMIGRANTS FIRST ENTERED AMERICA ELLIS ISLAND HAD REPLACED CASTLE GARDEN MANHATTAN AS THE NEW YORK IMMIGRATION PROCESSING CENTER IN ELLIS ISLAND'S FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION NEARLY 450000 PEOPLE WERE RECEIVED AND INSPECTED THERE ON THE WEST COAST ANGEL ISLAND NEAR ALCATRAZ IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY SERVED AS THE POINT OF ENTRY FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE APPROXIMATELY 175000 CHINESE IMMIGRANTS WHO CAME TO AMERICA BETWEEN 1910 AND 1940 ENTRY AT ANGEL ISLAND WAS PARTICULARLY HARD BECAUSE MOST CHINESE WERE DETAINED FOR DAYS WEEKS AND EVEN MONTHS IN INADEQUATE FACILITIES THAT WERE CLOSELY GUARDED SO THE IMMIGRANTS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ESCAPE THE FOLLOWING EXCERPTS ARE ABOUT IMMIGRANTS FIRST THOUGHTS OF AMERICA WE WERE DEATHLY SEASICK THE FIRST THREE DAYS DURING THAT PERIOD I WAS CONSCIOUS IT SEEMS TO ME ONLY PART OF THE TIME I REMEMBER THAT ONCE WHEN I OPENED MY EYES I SEEMED TO SEE THE STEAMER TURN TO ONE SIDE AND THEN DISAPPEAR UNDER WATER THEN I HEARD VOICES SCREAMING ENTREATING BEGGING PRAYING I THOUGHT WE WERE DROWNING BUT I DID NOT CARE NOTHING MATTERED NOW ON THE FOURTH DAY I BECAME AGAIN INTERESTED IN LIFE FROM CASTLE GARDEN WE DROVE TO OUR NEW HOME IN A MARKET WAGON FILLED WITH IMMIGRANTS BEDDING I LOOKED ABOUT IN BEWILDERMENT MY THOUGHTS WERE CHASING EACH OTHER I FELT A THRILL AM I REALLY IN AMERICA AT LAST BUT THE NEXT MOMENT I FELT A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED A LITTLE HOMESICK FATHER WAS SO CHANGED HE TOLD ME HE WOULD TAKE ME TO HIS OWN SHOP AND TEACH ME PART OF HIS OWN TRADE HE WAS A MEN'S COAT FINISHER HE MADE ME UNDERSTAND THAT IF WE WORKED STEADILY AND LIVED ECONOMICALLY WE SHOULD SOON HAVE MONEY TO SEND FOR THOSE AT HOME NEXT YEAR AT THIS TIME HE SMILED YOU YOURSELF MAY BE ON THE WAY TO FETCH MOTHER AND THE CHILDREN SO I TOO SMILED AT THE HAPPY PROSPECT WIPED SOME TEARS AWAY AND RESOLVED DECIDED TO WORK HARD FROM MRS FELESBERG WE LEARNED AT ONCE THE MORE SERIOUS SIDE OF LIFE IN AMERICA MRS FELESBERG WAS THE WOMAN WITH WHOM WE WERE ROOMING PERHAPS IT WAS DUE TO THESE TALKS THAT I SOON NOTICED HOW LATE MY FATHER WORKED WHEN HE WENT AWAY IN THE MORNING IT WAS STILL DARK AND WHEN HE CAME HOME AT NIGHT THE LIGHTS IN THE HALLS WERE OUT IT WAS AFTER TEN O'CLOCK ONE NIGHT WHEN HE CAME HOME AND AS HE SAT AT THE TABLE EATING HIS RICE SOUP WHICH HE AND AUNT MASHA HAD TAUGHT ME TO COOK I SAT DOWN ON THE COT AND ASKED TIMIDLY KNOWING THAT HE WAS IMPATIENT OF QUESTIONS FATHER DOES EVERYBODY IN AMERICA LIVE LIKE THIS GO TO WORK EARLY COME HOME LATE EAT AND GO TO SLEEP AND THE NEXT DAY AGAIN WORK EAT AND SLEEP WILL I HAVE TO DO THAT TOO ALWAYS SO ALMOST A WEEK PASSED AND THOUGH LIFE WAS SO INTERESTING STILL NO MATTER WHERE I WENT WHAT I SAW MOTHER AND HOME WERE ALWAYS PRESENT IN MY MIND OFTEN IN THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS A PAIN WOULD RISE IN MY THROAT AND MY EYES BURNED WITH TEARS HELD BACK ROSE GOLLUP WRITING IN 1891 THERE WAS NOT MUCH FOR US TO DO ON THE ISLAND IN THE MORNING WE GOT UP AND WASHED OUR FACES AFTERWARDS WE HAD BREAKFAST AFTER WE ATE WE NAPPED OR WASHED OUR OWN CLOTHES AT LUNCH TIME WE HAD CONGEE RICE PORRIDGE IN A LARGE SERVING BOWL WITH SOME COOKIES THEN AT NIGHT WE HAD RICE WITH A MAIN DISH YOU PICKED AT SOME IT I PICKED AT SOME OF IT AND THAT WAS THAT WE ATE IN A HUGE DINING HALL AFTER THE WOMAN ATE THE MEN ATE AS THE WOMEN PASSED THE MEN TEASED US WHISTLING SAYING THIS AND THAT THEY WERE SO NAUGHTY THEY ALLOWED US TO GO OUTSIDE TO THE YARD OR EVEN OUT TO THE DOCK WHERE THERE WERE GRASS AND TREES TALL AND FAN LIKE THE WOMEN WERE ALLOWED TO WANDER AROUND JUMP AROUND AND STICK OUR HANDS OR FEET INTO THE WATER TO FISH OUT SEAWEED OTHERWISE THE DAY WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD TO PASS MRS CHIN AGE 19 WRITING FROM ANGEL ISLAND 1913 QUOTE BY ROSE GOLLUP FROM THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ROSE GOLLUP IN IMMIGRANT VOICES NEW LIVES IN AMERICA 1773 1986 EDITED BY THOMAS DUBLIN QUOTE BY MRS CHIN FROM THE DETAINMENT FROM ISLAND POETRY AND HISTORY OF CHINESE IMMIGRANTS ON ANGEL ISLAND 1910 1940 BY HIM MARK LAI GENNRY LIM AND JUDY YUNG COPYRIGHT 1980 HOC DOI PROJECT REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF CHINESE CULTURE FOUNDATION OF SAN FRANCISCO AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PRESS
