Essay Examples on Ellis Island

1st Essay Sample on Ellis Island

Ellis Island was the major US Immigration hub in the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s.Between the years of 1892 and 1954 some 12 million were processed at Ellis Island .To many, Ellis Island represented the gateway to opportunity and a new and prosperous life by way of the American dream.However to the 25 that were turned away from Ellis Island and denied entrance into the U.S., Ellis Island represented cold shutting doors of hopelessness and failure.

Those that were turned away from Ellis Island were few percentages wise, but 2% of 12million translates into more than 250,000 dreams destroyed . The Ellis Island known today was founded by the New York State government in1855 and it was thefirst immigrant processing station established in the United States.This maverick immigrant processing station was originally based on an island off the southwest tip of Manhattan, Castle Garden.The NY State Government placed this Immigrant processing station off shore for two main reasons.

Thefirst of those reasons being, for the protection of the immigrants whom were often robbed or tricked out of their already meager funds by city swindlers. Also, to further prevent the spread of any infectious diseases that potential immigrants may have been carrying. Prior to the establishment of the Castle Garden processing station, Immigrants were allowed to simply walk freely into Manhattan harbor after departing from their ships.In April of 1890, due to legal issues, the castle garden project was ended and the US government purchased a swampy and small island to the to the southeast of Manhattan, where they would construct a new immigrant processing center and name it Ellis Island.

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Ellis Island was formally opened on January 1, 1892 .Thefirst Building was designed to process around 10,000 immigrants a day and the original design was not too far off the actual capabilities of the finished product.

2nd Essay Sample on Ellis Island

There is a small island on the New York Harbor that has witnessed over twelve million immigrants pass by its doors from 1892 to 1954; the golden portal is called Ellis Island. I went to see this museum on Wednesday, November 26, 2004 and I loved it. As soon as I walked in the Museum I felt as if I had walked into another time, the foyer is huge and I tried to imagine myself as an immigrant seeing all this for thefirst time and it was intimidating. People came from many lands; there were Bantu, Chinese, Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, Mexicans, Palestinians, Poles, Russians, Vietnamese, etc. Countless of Americans are descendants from these waves of immigrants.

On the main floor you also the see Baggage Room that was restored to resemble the baggage from the period. When I stepped into the Registry Room I was in awe. Here was the focal point for the newcomers because they were question in the same are that I was standing in. This was where they were given permission to enter the land or denied access. Ellis Island was originally known to the Native American as Kioshk, or gull Island, because those birds were its only inhabitants.

The Dutch then purchased the island and called it “Little Oyster Island” because of the delectable oysters found in its bay. The Island was then referred to as Gibbet Island because they would hang criminals on “gibbets” or gallows trees. Then Samuel Ellis was given ownership about the time of the American Revolution, he died in 1794 and in that same year the city began to fear British attacks so they built a defense on Ellis Island. I was briefly talking to a tour guide and she informed me that to the immigrants Ellis Island looked like a gracious haven on the outside but on the inside it was a place of cruelty and corruption.