Summary Of Encountering Ellis Island By Ronald H. Baylor

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Encountering Ellis Island by Ronald H. Baylor explores the experiences of hundreds of Europeans who flocked to the United States in the second half of the 19th century and into the 20th century. Ronald Baylor leaves no stone unturned as he tells of the difficulties immigrants faced as they tried to enter America. He examines not only Ellis Island, but makes many comparisons to Angel Island as well. His book is told in chronological sections, and his presentation is matter-of-fact. The main themes Baylor discusses include, the controversy surrounding immigration, Ellis Island vs Angel Island, and immigrants personal experience. The book begins with a section titled “How (and Why) Immigrants Traveled to America,” which goes into explaining …show more content…

Many citizens expressed concern, and as the first of various immigration laws, the Page Act was passed, which racially targeted Asian immigrants. Other acts prevented convicts, lunatics, and those likely to become charity cases from entering. As you can see, Congress and the acts they passed fully controlled who would enter the country, and unfortunately, race overrode most other considerations in the entry process. This was especially true at Angel Island, where the Chinese were targeted more than anyone …show more content…

It gives you a real perspective on immigration then, and brings you to think about immigration now. The immigration process and overseas experience was so depressing, I wonder how anyone that had something to lose could do it at all. In fact, some personal accounts of the immigrants reminded me of a book on concentration camps I just read. Especially on the port and then the boat, the immigrants were treated like animals, especially the Chinese. However, while the sections were in chronological order, the information presented inside them sometimes jumped around. To add to that, I realize it was a factual retelling of Ellis Island’s time as an immigration station, but there was a lot information (especially statistics) just thrown in your face, and it made some parts difficult to