Themes in American History

Despite the fact that the United States of America is made from a mixture of diverse cultures and religions, it relies on immigrants for economic development and social strength.  Most Americans came from different backgrounds, starting with the Dutch to every nationality we can ever think of. For so many years, people have come and worked here, started families and also asked for their relatives to join them after they settle and become citizens. The United States of America was founded upon the backs of those immigrants. As stated, “Around three-fourths of aliens who entered the United States between 1892 and 1924 went through the Ellis Island immigration station” (Yans-McLaughlin and Lightman 59). Ellis Island has a long and exciting history. This historical site was the “Gateway to America” from 1892 until it closed in 1954.

Most of people think of Ellis Island as an immigration station, but before becoming one it was a “ammunition and ordinance depot named Fort Gibson” (Ellis Island). From 1794 to 1890, the island played a mostly uneventful but still significant role in United States history.  No fighting took place at Fort Gibson it was mainly a munitions storage fort. The fort at Ellis Island was named Fort Gibson in honor of brave officer killed during the War of 1812 (Stakely).

At first, immigration was managed in the United States through a mixed federal-state system. When immigrants began arriving at New York City, New York State processed them at an old fort known as Castle Clinton at the Battery, at the tip of Manhattan. When it became too small for the large number of immigrants arriving in the country, the government chose Ellis Island as the new immigration center. After making new wooden buildings, it opened in 1892 to serve “The Newcomers”. “ On  January 1^st ,1892; Annie Moore, a 15 year old Irish girl, with her two brothers entered the Island and was a first immigrant  to be processed  there, on January 2^nd”   (Ellis Island ).

From 1892 to 1954 more than 12 million immigrants were processed through the system.  Over time, the immigration station spread over three connected islands. In 1902, a hospital was built on Ellis Island. It had all the necessary rooms in order to provide good medical service to the immigrants who needed it. For instance there was an operating room, a contagious disease ward, a maternity ward, even an autopsy room and morgue (Eastman).

Ellis Island has not affected my life tremendously but it did affect the native New Yorkers who were born after Ellis Island was closed, slightly in ways of their ancestors might have come through it. It was the Gateway to America, it was needed, and it was built.

I wanted to experience and see for myself one of the most important places in immigration of America. I went on Ellis Island and spent several hours in main building, Ellis Island Immigration Museum, and I was taken by what I saw. For example, when I took a tour of all “special” rooms, that immigrants had to go through in order to complete medical inspections and finish their registration process, there was one story of immigrant written on the wall that really touched my heart. This story was written by Fiorello H. LaGuardia in his autobiography, The Making of an Insurgent, 1948.            

            “One case haunted me for years. A young girl in her teens from the mountains of northern Italy turned up at Ellis Island. No one understood her particular dialect very well, and because of her hesitancy in replying to questions  she did not understand, she was sent to the hospital for observations. I could   imagine the effect on this girl, who had always been carefully sheltered and had      never been permitted to be in the company of man alone, when a doctor suddenly rapped her on the knees, looked into her eyes, turned her on her back and tickled   her spine to ascertain her reflexes. The child rebelled – and how!” 

Another story that shows us a dramatic experience of immigrants passing through Ellis Island was written in the article “Ellis Island’s forgotten Hospital” in New York Times, by Sewell Chan. It states that “In the documentary movie, John Gauqer, who emigrated from France in 1929, at age 5, recalls that he only spoke French when he arrived at Ellis Island. He was held at observation.” He said “They took me away from my mother. I did not know what was happening, she did not know what was happening, and I was here in this place away from her, never know if I was going to see her again.”

Both stories show us how ironic life could be. On one hand people coming to America in a hope of starting new life and live in the land of freedom, but on the other hand they could end up not so lucky and experience unfortunate situations like that . Ever since I read this story, I have been thinking how fortunate I am to not have to experience these kinds of situations.

Immigrants came to America in search of freedom and opportunity and the Ellis Island played big role for immigrants in order to enter the United States of America.  The immigrants who passed through Ellis Island received the freedom and rights that they didn’t obtain in their former country. The experiences that they went through on the island became part of American History. It is estimated that over 40 percent of all U.S. citizens can trace their ancestry to those who came through Ellis Island (Stakely). Ellis Island was the Getaway to America.

At the end, I am happy that I went to the Ellis Island and was able to learn so much about the experience of immigrants that came to the USA through Ellis Island and the historical imporatnce of this place.

Bibliography

Eastman, Dick. “The Ellis Island Expeirience.” Ancestry. 2006. 11 Jul 2011 <http://www.ancestry.com>.

 Ellis Island. 2000. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island foundation, Inc… 11 July 2011 <http://www.ellis island. org>.

Stakely, Tracy J. Cultural Landscape Report For Ellis Island. Brookline, Massachusetts: National Park Service, 2003.

Yans-McLaughlin, Virginia, and Marjorie Lightman. Ellis Island and  the Peopling of America. New York: The New Press, 1997.

Comments Off on The Role of Ellis Island in American Immigration History