Ellis Island Essay, Research Paper
Ellis Island
Ellis Island has a long and exciting . History was the “Gateway
to America” from 1892 until it closed in 1954, The island was called
Gull Island by the Indians and Oyster Island by the Dutch people.
Later the English made it a place for hanging criminals and so the
island became known as Gibbet Island. The Indians sold it to the
Dutch East India Company for trinkets. The company later sold it to
Mynheer Paauw who also bought land along the New Jersey coastline.
Samuel Ellis, a colonial merchant bought the island and it became at
last Ellis Island. After the Revolution, the island was sold to New York
State and in 1811, Fort Gibson was built on it to prepare for the War of
1812. No fighting took place at Fort Gibson it was mainly a munitions
storage fort.
When immigrants began coming into New York City, New York
State processed them at an old fort known as Castle Clinton(i bet it was
called castle clinton because it was easy to get into) on the Battery at
the tip of Manhattan. When that it became too small for the large
number of immigrants arriving in the country, they chose Ellis Island as
the new immigration center. After making new wooden buildings, it
opened in 1892 but those
were built in 1900 and it opened again. Eventually the control of
immigration was turned over to the Federal government.
Ellis Island was the federal immigration station (The Gateway
to America) in the United States from 1892 to 1954. More than 12
million immigrants were processed here. Over time, the immigration
station spread over 3 connected islands with loto buildings including a
hospital. It is estimated that over 40 percent of all citizens can trace
their ancestry to those who came through Ellis Island. After passing a
bunch of immigration laws in the 1920s it was used more for deporting
aliens. Immigrants were required to pass a series of medical and legal
inspections before they could enter America. Those who did not pass
these inspections were returned to their country on the boats that
brought them here. Even though only 2 percent of those coming to
America were turned away at Ellis Island that came out to over 250000
people whose hopes and dreams turned to tears and messed up lives.
Ellis Island has nt effected my life tramendusly but it did effect it
slightly in ways of my ancestors might have came through it.
It was the Gateway to America , it was needed, and it was built.
Ellis Island.