Books

Bayor, R. H. (2014). Encountering Ellis Island: How European immigrants entered America. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.

Bayor offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Ellis Island operated. He uses official documents, memorandums, and letters to describe the interactions between immigrants and the people who worked at Ellis Island. This includes an analysis of how immigrant officials, medical practitioners, and other employees viewed their workload on the island and their thoughts on immigration. Bayor connects the story of Ellis Island to present-day immigration political and social issues.

Brownstone, D. M., Franck, I. M., & Brownstone, D. L. (1979). Island of hope, island of tears. New York, NY: Rawson, Wade Publishers.

Island of Hope, Island of Tears is a collection of personal stories and experiences of the individuals and families who passed through Ellis Island. The authors give special attention to immigration during the 1880s-1920s. Previously, many immigrants arrived from northern and western Europe. Then, as conflict broke out in Europe, more immigrants began to arrive from eastern and southern Europe. The authors defined this as a wave of “new immigration” and describe the development of stricter immigration policies. Many of these eastern and southern European immigrants experienced more intensive and invasive health inspections than their wealthier counterparts. The book details many of these interactions.

Cannato, V. J. (2010). American passage: The history of Ellis Island. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

A history professor at the University of Massachusetts, Cannato presents a history of Ellis Island in his book American Passage: The History of Ellis Island. Beginning with the 1700s, Cannato traces the stories of the people and events that shaped the island. He pays special attention to social reforms on the island, including President Theodore Roosevelt’s attempts to improve sanitation and other health practices on the island.

Coan, P. M. (2015). Ellis Island interviews: Immigrants tell their stories in their own words. New York, NY: Fall River Press

Coan used recorded oral histories and conducted his own interviews to compile a collection of first-hand accounts of Ellis Island. The stories of immigrants from Italy, the British Isles, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Western Europe, and the Middle East tell of their fear, hope, shame, abuse, and wonder as they passed through Ellis Island. These stories are complemented by stories of Ellis Island employees, including the director of neuropsychiatry, to provide a fuller picture of the medical inspections, medical treatment, and immigration process at Ellis Island.

Conway, L. (2007). Forgotten Ellis Island: The extraordinary story of America’s immigrant hospital. New York, NY: Smithsonian Books : Collins, 2007.

While many books have been written about Ellis Island, Forgotten Ellis Island is considered the first book written specifically about the Ellis Island hospital. Conway describes both the medical inspections and hospital treatments as well as the history and decline of the hospital complex. A chapter is devoted to the treatment and testing of “mentally defective immigrants” and the social and political factors relating to immigration in that time period. Copies of many primary sources including photographs, medical records, newspaper articles, and cartoons enhance the text narrative.

Fairchild, A. L. (2003). Science at the borders: Immigrant medical inspection and the shaping of the modern industrial labor force. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Fairchild’s book focuses on the relationships between medical examinations of immigrants and US labor policy. Although medical examinations were at times used to exclude people based on race, class, or disease, Fairchild claims that medical examinations also served as part of the social process of introducing immigrants to American industrial society and its norms. The book also explores the relationship between science, medicine, and immigration in Industrial-era America.

Kraut, A. M. (1995). Silent travelers: Germs, genes, and the immigrant menace. United Kingdom: Johns Hopkins University Press.

In his book, Kraut explores the connection between the public’s fears about immigration and outbreaks of diseases. Kraut provides an American narrative of how immigrant groups are often the scapegoats for various health scares throughout history. He also addresses how these public fears have impacted health policies. Researchers interested in Ellis Island should pay special attention to chapter three: “Proper Precautions: Searching for Illness on Ellis Island.” Kraut examines how many Americans viewed immigrants as health menaces. He also looks at how health inspectors on the island struggled to quickly screen for diseases under demanding pressures.

Richardson, J. T. E. (2011). Howard Andrew Knox: Pioneer of intelligence testing at Ellis Island. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

As an assistant surgeon on Ellis Island, Howard Andrew Knox developed intelligence tests to screen out “feebleminded” immigrants in response to the 1882 declaration by Congress that prohibited the admission of “lunatics and idiots.” Knox’s tests were less dependent on education and language than previous forms of intelligence testing. This biography of Knox’s life and work also details the legacy and impact of his Ellis Island tests on the field of intelligence testing and on the social, political, and ethical aspects of immigration.