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At the turn of the 20th century, a wave of immigration swept America and changed the face of its population, industry, and culture. The labor demands of a thriving industrial economy helped drive immigration to record levels. Most newcomers were from southern and eastern Europe, although a significant number of Chinese immigrants came to build the transcontinental railroad. Many immigrants were skilled tradesmen, which caused resentment and protest among native-born tradesmen and other nativists. Others were unskilled workers who supported America's flourishing manufacturing industry, helped build its transportation system, and settled its Great Plains.

Immigrants—some 25 million between 1860 and 1920—mostly arrived by boat through New York Harbor. After 1886, they were greeted by the Statue of Liberty and, after 1892, examined at the Ellis Island immigration center. Most who stayed settled in New York or other cities, in urban neighborhoods organized by ethnic groups. As these groups were integrated into the larger culture, modern American society was forever transformed. The first Chinese entered California in 1848, and within a few years, thousands more came, lured by the promise of Gam Sann or "Gold Mountain". 1848 Gold is discovered in California and a gold rush begins. Video:​ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.​ ​Gold Rush - 220k Soon, discriminatory legislation forced them out of the gold fields and into low-paying, menial jobs. They laid tracks for the Central Pacific Railroad, reclaimed swamp land in the Sacramento delta, developed shrimp and abalone fisheries, and provided cheap labor wherever there was work no other group wanted or needed. 1865 Central Pacific recruits Chinese workers to build a transcontinental railroad. Video:​ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.​ ​Building the Railroad - 220k During the 1870s, an economic downturn resulted in serious unemployment problems, and led to politically motivated outcries against Asian immigrants who would work for low wages. In reaction to states starting to pass immigration laws, in 1882 the federal government asserted its authority to control immigration and passed the first immigration law, barring lunatics and felons from entering the country. Later in 1882, the second immigration law barred Chinese, with a few narrow exceptions. Imperial China was too weak and impoverished to exert any influence on American policy. This law was originally for 10 years, but was extended and expanded and not repealed until 1943, when China was

our ally in World War II. However, only 105 Chinese were allowed in legally each year, so the exception process actually continued into the 1950's. Chinese were not on a equal immigration footing with other nationalities until immigration laws were completely rewritten in the mid 1960's. 1882 Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Video:​ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.​ ​The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 - 220k Between 1892 and 1924, as many as 12 million men, women, and children from all over the world passed through the Registry Room of Ellis Island's Main Building. They came dressed as when they had left their native countries, with expressions of excitement and joy, fear and apprehension - and exhaustion from the long trip - etched on their faces. During the height of mass immigration, when as many as 5,000 people passed through the room each day, it was all the inspectors, clerks, and interpreters could do to keep up with the paperwork. It was a seemingly never-ending stream of humanity that often threatened to jumble together, so that one person's unforgettable story became merely one of millions. But of the many workers at the island, there was at least one who, even after 33 years at his post as clerk, steadfastly viewed each immigrant as a new face and a unique story. Augustus Sherman Augustus Sherman, who worked as a registry clerk in the Great Hall from 1892 until 1925, when he died of a heart attack, did more than imprint the faces on his memory. The most notable expressions, postures, native costumes - even abnormalities - he captured on film. Today his collection of 235 photos resides at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. It constitutes a photographic documentary of the parade of nations that passed through the Great Hall during the long period when the country flung open its doors to refugees from other lands. As 72 percent of America's immigrants came into New York Harbor rather than other ports of entry throughout the country during those years, Sherman's photographic legacy is a significant contribution to American history and to the making of our nation as a melting pot. Little is known about Sherman's life. Born in Pennsylvania in 1866, Sherman came to New York in 1892, the same year he began working at Ellis Island. As a clerk, he was responsible for registering immigrants, which he did at the examination desk with the help of an inspector and an interpreter. Although he became intimate with the leadership of Ellis Island, he never became an inspector; instead he remained a registry clerk until he was appointed private

secretary to the commissioner of immigration at Ellis Island in 1921, a post at which he remained until his death in 1925. An inveterate bachelor, Sherman loved children, had a playful wit, and took pride in being well dressed, which is evident from the one photo of him in the collection, taken during his later years. Although an amateur photographer, he did provide photos to the National Geographic Society and for official government reports. After Sherman died, his photos were left to gather dust until 1969, when one of Sherman's nieces, Mrs. Mary Sherman Peters, donated the collection to the National Park Service. Photography was a relatively new medium when Sherman began using it in 1892. It was an awkward medium, too, and required setting up a bulky box camera on legs, and putting one's head under a black cloth. No doubt the immigrants, most of whom had never seen a camera, were a bit frightened by the process, but they usually submitted to the proposal of "Gus" Sherman that they come outside for a moment and pose for him. The resulting photos are truly rich in their ability to capture the mixed emotions, telling postures, and distinctive costumes of the many different ethnic groups that came here to make a new life. For instance, an extended family of Serbian gypsies - the men wearing full beards and the women voluminous shawls and skirts - look a bit ragtag, but relaxed, as though they'll make the best of it wherever they end up. And then there were the children. Sherman loved children and often posed them by themselves in their own groups. Perhaps he was focusing on the next generation of Americans, the ones who would adapt most quickly to the new language and customs and form the last link between the Old World and the New. It must indeed have been a world of wonder to the children from the Russian steppes, the Scottish highlands, the Hungarian plains, and the Dutch countryside to arrive in this new land. In what is perhaps Sherman's most popular photo, taken in the Ellis Island rooftop garden, children from different nations parade past the camera in a wooden wagon bearing the words "Uncle Sam." Their American flags flutter in the breeze off New York Harbor, and, except for the few telling details of ethnic costumes in the background, one would never know it was not Main Street, U.S.A. And that is the lesson in Augustus Sherman's photography: that together, we make a nation.