Ellis Island: Site of Picnics, War, and Immigration
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was once the main immigration station for people
entering the United States. About a third of Americans can trace their ancestry to this
entry point. Today Ellis Island is a museum accessible by ferryboat.
The island is named for Samuel Ellis, a wealthy colonial landholder. He once owned the
land and used it as a picnic area. When selling the island, Ellis advertised it along with
several other items he had for sale, including a few barrels of excellent shad and
herrings and a large Pleasure Sleigh, almost new.
The U.S. War Department purchased the island for $10,000 in 1808. They built defenses
there in the buildup to the War of 1812. Fort Gibson was erected to house prisoners of
that conflict. Fifty years later during the Civil War, the Union army used the fort as a
munitions arsenal.
When the Civil War ended, Ellis Island was abandoned for twenty-five years. Then, in
1890, the government wanted a new immigration processing center. (This would replace
the Castle Garden Immigration Depot, the countrys first immigration station, which was
located on the tip of Manhattan.) Ellis Island opened in 1892 as the main processing point
for newcomers; at the time, about 70% of all immigrants passed through the island
facilities.
The first immigrant processed was Annie Moore, a teenager from Ireland who was
meeting her parents in New York. (She received a $10 gold coin!) The Ellis Island staff
continued to process immigrant steamship passengers until 1954, when the last immigrant
was the Norwegian merchant seaman Arne Peterssen. In the more than six decades of
operation, the immigration building on Ellis Island saw more than 12 million hopeful
immigrants. After 1954, the building was not attended to for about thirty years. It was
eventually refurbished in the late 1980s and re-opened as a museum in 1990. It is now
under jurisdiction of the US National Park Service.
Immigrants experiences on Ellis Island differed with social class. Wealthier immigrants
who traveled first or second class generally entered automatically without delay. Third-
class steerage passengers had medical exams and interviews. In the end, about two
percent were sent back across the ocean after these procedures. With these people in
mind, Ellis is also known as The Island of Tears and or Heartbreak Island.
Standard interviews included twenty-nine questions, including name, skills, and amount
of money available. Adults who seemed likely to become a public charge would be
turned away. The medical exams on Ellis Island were brief; they usually lasted only six
seconds! However, people who appeared ill received much more attention. Chalk
markings were put on their clothes to indicate suspected medical conditions. People who
didnt discreetly remove these markings were typically sent home or to the islands
hospital. About three thousand people travelers died in Ellis Islands hospital.
The United States enacted Quota Laws in 1924. These restricted immigration and
resulted in most processing being performed at embassies and consulates instead of
freestanding immigration stations. After 1924 Ellis Island was only sporadically used to
see war refugees and displaced persons. The island was used for Japanese internment and
to house German Americans accused of being Nazis.
Ellis Island was once the subject of a border dispute between New York and New Jersey.
Today the two states have divided ownership of the historic site: the main building
containing the museum is part of New York, and the old hospital buildings are part of
New Jersey. The monument has been managed and preserved by the National Park
Service since 1966.
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Tag: New York Harbor
Four Presidents and a Lady
When you think of the breath taking splendor that is the North American continent, it seems we will never stop being astounded by the beauty all around us in this phenomenal land that God has given us for our home. But every now and then as you re sightseeing in this magnificent land, you gaze upon something so breath taking, so inspiring and yet not entirely made by nature.
We have in diverse locations around our countryside some of the most phenomenal man made works of art that have ever been created. Small wonder that any vacation that sets out to see the wonders of our nation would have to include trips to see such amazing creations as these man made sights that our culture has produced.
Mount Rushmore in South Dakota is a perfect example of a magnificent sightseeing stop that combines the greatness of nature with the creativity, tenacity and artistic talent of mankind. In addition its a well crafted monument to the greatness of our leadership especially in the early years of the federation.
It is almost impossible stand and not be awed by these mountain sized tributes to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Some might say that we are participating in a bit of hero worship making such grand statues to our early presidents. To that I say, guilty as charged. And why should we not hold these men as the tremendous heroes that they were and still are? And Mount Rushmore only dramatically brings out our deep sense of gratitude and respect we have for these early presidents who put all on the line to make this country the great nation that it is.
The statue of liberty in the New York harbor is just the kind of fantastic man made sight that both makes its visitors go wow and inspires everyone who sees it because of what that statue stands for. Just like the monuments at Mount Rushmore, Lady Liberty, as she is called is also stunning for the striking physical beauty of the harbor and of Manhattan Island to her North.
As much as we sometimes have mixed feelings about the relationship between the French government and our own, this gift that the French gave to our nation when we were just becoming a real country of our own is such a beautiful reminder of the value and enduring friendships America has with the international community. But more than that, because so much of our citizenry came to this country with little more than a dream and the clothes on their backs, the Statue of Liberty is a dramatic statement that this country is the home of the brave, the land of the free and the place people come to know true liberty in a world where freedom and opportunity are often very scarce indeed.
But not all of the man made wonders you can take in when sightseeing all over America are statues. In a way, the city of Washington DC itself is one huge work of art. This is particularly easy to see when you watch video of shots of the city taken from a helicopter that shows the stunning view looking down the Washington Mall. The elegant and simple Washington monument stands proudly in the center surrounded buy the reflecting pool, the White House, Congress and the most amazing art museum campus in the world, the many buildings of the Smithsonian Institution. The beauty of Washington is so unstoppable that it could not even be contained to one building. Instead to really get a feel for this amazing artistic creation, you need lots of time to explore the nations capital on foot.
The man made wonders that are welcoming you as a visitor all over America are more evidence of how great this country really is. And because they all touch us so deeply because of the combination of the beauty of art and the wonderment of nature, they point to what makes America great too. And that is the glorious country God gave us to live in combined with the heart of a great people who are the nation called America.
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