NEW YORK CITY, EAST COAST, APRIL '03
Maybe some of my family's luggage? The description says it's Finnish, though the luggage label proclaims itself as Swedish. Either way. The exhibits on the immigrant experience, which took you through all the steps of being processed, were fascinating. The chief considerations for whether to let immigrants in were whether they would not be a financial burden. However, you were not allowed to have a job lined up, because that would be stealing from an American. So it was a cautious game that the immigrants had to play, to show that they could and would work but were not coming over for that purpose. Women by themselves were not allowed to leave Ellis Island unless someone picked them up or vouched for them by letter (such as a distant husband).
<< PREVIOUS PHOTO   |   NEXT PHOTO >>

HOME   |   PHOTOS   |   NEW YORK CITY   |   EAST COAST '03   |   E-MAIL US