Ellis Island Research Paper

Throughout the 1800s to early 1900s, Ellis Island was an important location for immigrants seeking opportunity in the United States. It highlighted the beginning of a new era and for Polish immigrant Gabriel Baumgarten. Ellis Island marked a new way of life, even if at the time he had been too young to understand it. Baumgarten emigrated from Poland at age 8, departing with little memories of his birthplace. He vaguely remembered living in a small house and eating lima beans and noodles, as well as a vivid memory of being abandoned during the war. He said, "During the war, I was abandoned. I was, we were fleeing from one place to another. At one time the Germans came, one time the Russians came. They put me on a wagon and I remember, one thing …show more content…
He and his family had been on the steerage level because they had been very poor. The area had been very crowded and when it came to sleeping arrangements most slept on bunk beds. He recalls the worst part of the trip being the fact that the food had been inedible. As a kid, he had loved eating and subsequently was very fat, so the bad food had tampered with his experience. To counter that bad experience, he cites a fond one of his journey, reaching the Statue of Liberty. He explained it to be a joyous moment for all on board, as they had finally reached "Golden Land". Upon reaching Ellis Island, he had been overwhelmed by the number of people but before he processed all of that he had to go through his examinations. He had lice but to his shock was not detained and went to his new home with his father. He lived on the 4th floor of an apartment which had only three rooms and a bedroom that he and his family shared with his next-door neighbor. The three boys had shared one room, his parents shared one and a kitchen that contained a few chairs and tables. They had eaten the same kind of meals they had back home in Poland, lima beans and noodles but on Fridays and Saturdays, they had the privilege of eating chicken. He and his family did not have much, but they did what they could to support …show more content…
He had attended public school but later went to Yeshiva, which was Hebrew School. His father had been profoundly religious and in Baumgarten's eyes, being forced to be a devout follower of Judaism was the worst part of his American experience. He hadn't noticed how religious his family was until they had reached America. He had stated that "the religion was the only thing that bothered me. It bothered all of us, actually, because we couldn't play ball or anything like that, the way we wanted to." Regardless, he had obeyed his father because he knew how hard he was working for the family. They had been very poor and because of this, Baumgarten had begun working at 15 in support of his family and to get out of the house. His first job required him to run errands for others and in the summer, he used to sell soda to the working people. Overall, Baumgarten enjoyed his life in America and had been appreciative of the opportunity he had been given. His journey had not been the smoothest, but it had been unique to his circumstances just as it had been for Pauline

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