Ellis island dates back to pre-colonial times, but it was not commissioned as an immigration station until the late 1800's. In 1890 immigration was handed over to the Federal Government, with President Harrison taking control of immigration. This led Congress to allowing $75,000 to be used in the construction of the first immigration station, Ellis Island. This project expanded the island in size by six acres. The barge office was the first to process immigrants, totaling 405,664 people allowed into the United States in 1891. But it wasn't until January 1, 1892 that the immigration station was officially opened. This building stood for an entire five years before it was demolished by a fire in 1897. This catastrophe destroyed all records dating back to 1855. By this point, 1.5 million immigrants had been processed since 1892. And it wasn't until 1900 that the present Main Building was opened as a fire proof structure.
The first immigrant to usher in a new era was 15 year old Annie Moore. She was traveling from Ireland with her two younger brothers to be reunited with her parents in New York City. She arrived on January 1, 1892 aboard the S.S. Nevada from County Cork, Ireland; it was her fifteenth birthday. This young girl led the way for millions more searching for a better existence. On the first day of its usage, 3 large ships and 700 immigrants were admitted to Ellis Island. In the first year alone 450,000 people passed through the small island.
To accommodate the growing number of immigrants, multiple additions were adding to the buildings. This once 3.3 acre piece of land was transformed into a 27.5 acre island. In 1908, the baggage and dormitory building were doubled. And in the same year, the dinning room was expanded to seat more then 1,000 people at a time. This was a direct result of the peak year of 1907. 1,004,756 immigrants were processed, with a whooping 11,474 on April 17. This was more then the station could handle. It eventually resulted in two Immigration Quota Law's and a steep decline in immigration overall.
America offered a freedom many countries lacked in this time period, luring people from across the globe. Jews came to escape political and economic oppression in czarist Russia, Mexicans came victimized by the Revolution, Armenians were fleeing the massacres in Turkey, and even more Jews came to flee the executions across Eastern Europe and Russia. One thing these diverse groups all had in common, was their entrance through Ellis Island. But types of mass immigration led to things such as the first Immigration Quota Law in 1921, which stated that the number of any European nationality entering in a year could not exceed 3% of foreign-born people of that nationality in the United States. This set the total number of immigrants annually to 358,000. This occurrence slowed post-war immigration and was the last decline in the number of immigrants until its closing in 1954.
Ellis island is more then a point of entry for the United States, it is a representation of the diverse cultures within America. It is estimated that nearly 40% of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors back to Ellis Island. It has been known as the "Gateway to America", a meaningful term that evokes life into its meaning. In the 1880's alone, 9% of Norwegians immigrated into the U.S. This goes to show how great of an impact it had on our distinct culture and population. Shortly after Ellis Island opened, it is said that in Lower New York an entirely different world could be found in a single neighborhood. These communities sprouted up all across the nation, as families travelled to find loved ones, or friends embarked on a journey to find each other. These neighborhoods created a sense of home for those new to the country and offered a sense of belonging not easily found. But they also had a large impact on the people already living in these towns. They were introduced to new customs and traditions, along with unfamiliar foods and lifestyles. This minor island shaped our world into how we see it today. And an entirely different world was created by this mere 12 million people that passed through its doors. With what started out as one young Irish girl soon turned into a wave of people from all walks of life in search of the American dream.
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Foundation website
gave me a variety of material on my topic. I used the timeline to learn about
important dates and the article offers plenty of information on the creation
and use of Ellis Island. It also provided a assortment of pictures of various
scenes giving me a better idea of what Ellis Island was like.
This website provides plenty of information on the
construction and architecture of Ellis Island. It also talks about the problems
with the buildings, including the over congestion of a growing number of
immigrants. Think Quest also offers material on the expansion and growth of the
island itself, which led to even more building improvements and a much larger
area.
This website gives a very detailed history of Ellis Island.
It provides a general timeline with the years of important dates. And unlike
any of my other sources it includes trivia with untold stories of different
people and places on Ellis Island.
The National Park Service website was very useful because of
the categories, including the immigrants and their stories which gave me a
better impression of the experience. This website also provided important dates
by month on a timeline, showing the growth of Ellis Island and the variation of
immigrants.
This website was helpful to me because of the overview it
gave on the history of Ellis Island. It also provided other reliable sites to
help me further my research. It
redirected me to different organizations and educational institutes to help
with my search for beneficial information. Although it gave mostly basic facts
on Ellis Island, it helped me to double check that my information from other
websites was correct.
