My name is Joe and I live in London, England. When I was eight years old my parents decided to move to America. I wasn't sure about going, but my parents said America promised free land and easier work. So we went to the New World.
It was 1850 when my family decided to move to America. Our farm was not producing enough crops for us to sell. My parents got the idea from seeing advertisements of free land in America. We did not have enough money to travel there. We had to sell all our belongings and save our money. When the day came for us to leave we went to the dock and boarded the large ship. I couldn't believe how many people were there. I didn't think they would all fit on the ship. We were put in the hold of the ship where the cargo was kept.
English: Chicago and North Western Railway locomot...
English: Statue of Liberty Gaeilge: Dealbh na Saoi...
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, New Mex...There was no room to move around. We could not wash ourselves because we wouldn't have enough water to drink. During the six weeks on the ship many people became ill. I was the first person to see land. I saw many buildings and the one I remember most was the Statue of Liberty.
When we got off the ship we were taken to a building, that looked like a jail, to be tested and questioned. We were asked where we came from, how much money we had, if we had any family in AMErica and if we were going to work. There were many lines to stand in and forms to fill out. We were tested for diseases like typhoid fever, smallpox and leprosy. Doctors carried colored chalk to mark people that had medical problems. If people were diseased they could be sent back to their homeland...