Ellis Island is a small island in New York Harbour located in the upper bay near the New Jersey coast. By the time Samuel Ellis became the island's private owner in the 1770s, Ellis Island developed into a harbour fort, ammunition and ordinance depot, and finally an immigration station. When the British occupied New York City during the Revolutionary War (1775–83), its large naval fleet sailed freely into New York Harbour. The Continental Congress voted for independence in 1776.
The Federal government eventually purchased Ellis Island from NY State in 1808. When the government realised its strategic value in defending against British invasion, they built a series of coastal fortifications in New York Harbour. This was even before they knew about the War of 1812 between the USA, the UK and their respective allies. But the fort was not needed in the 1812 War and served only as an ammunition storage. They built a parapet for 3 tiers of circular guns, plus two earthworks forts at New York Harbour’s entrance.
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The Federal government eventually purchased Ellis Island from NY State in 1808. When the government realised its strategic value in defending against British invasion, they built a series of coastal fortifications in New York Harbour. This was even before they knew about the War of 1812 between the USA, the UK and their respective allies. But the fort was not needed in the 1812 War and served only as an ammunition storage. They built a parapet for 3 tiers of circular guns, plus two earthworks forts at New York Harbour’s entrance.
Ellis Island, first used for migrants in 1892.
Statue of Liberty in the background, dedicated in 1886 (above)
Britannica.com
Potential immigrants waiting in the Great Hall, c1900 (below)
Statue of Liberty in the background, dedicated in 1886 (above)
Britannica.com
Before 1890, the individual states regulated immigration into the USA. Because New York Harbour was the ultimate destination of steamship companies, most immigrants entered the USA here. Or ports like Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, Savannah, Miami and New Orleans.
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Third class passengers being physically examined
The 1st & 2nd class passengers who arrived in New York Harbour didn’t need to undergo the inspection process at Ellis Island. Instead they underwent a quick inspection aboard ship. If families could afford to purchase quality tickets, the Federal government “knew” they would not become a burden to the state. 1st & 2nd class passengers were only sent to Ellis Island for further inspection if they were sick or had legal problems.
However steerage/3rd class immigrants travelled in crowded, unsanitary conditions near the bottom of steam ships, sea sick in their bunks during rough Atlantic Ocean crossings. Upon arrival in New York City, the steerage passengers were transported from the pier by ferry to Ellis Island, to undergo medical and legal inspections.
Migration was rising at the turn of the century and in 1907 more people (c1.25 million) immigrated to the USA than any other year, including Catholics and Jews from eastern Europe. Tradesmen struggled to build new facilities to accommodate this great influx of new immigrants. Hospital buildings, dormitories, contagious disease wards and kitchens all were built as quickly as possible.
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As the USA entered WW1, immigration to the USA decreased. In 1918-9, suspected enemy aliens were investigated onboard ship; at the docks they were transferred from Ellis Island so that the USA Navy with the Army Medical Department could control the island complex.
After WW1, a Red Scare spread across America & thousands of suspected alien radicals were interned & later deported. New arrivals faced rejection if they were anarchists, had a criminal record or showed poor moral character. So Ellis Island bears a sombre history as a detention centre for thousands of suspected communists and radical immigrants. Yet the overall number of people denied entry at Ellis Island was low; from 1892-1954, only c2% were rejected.
Nasty right-wing politicians demanded greater restrictions on immigration. Yet the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Alien Contract Labour Law and the institution of a literacy test barely stemmed the flood of new immigrants. So the Quota Laws (1921) and the National Origins Act (1924) were passed. These restrictions were based upon a percentage system according to the number of ethnic groups already living in the USA according to the 1890 & 1910 Censuses. It was an attempt to preserve the ethnic flavour of the old immigrants from North & West Europe, superior to all other races and ethnicities. The doctors who oversaw the medical examinations at Ellis Island led by example - Southern and Eastern Europeans possessed a deteriorating character which made restriction justifiable and necessary.
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Then migrants came via Castle Garden in Manhattan, America's first official immigration centre. From 1855-90 Castle Garden served c8 million immigrants, mostly from England, Ireland, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Throughout the 1800s, European political instability, nasty religious laws and deteriorating economic conditions fuelled the largest mass human migration in world history. Thus these people constituted the first large wave of immigrants that populated the nation.
Clearly Castle Garden was too small to handle the growing numbers of immigrants. And crooked immigration officials took bribes in exchange for letting immigrants get off in Manhattan, without first going through inspection at Ellis Island. The Federal government intervened and needed a new Federally-operated station on Ellis Island.
The new structure on Ellis Island opened in Jan 1892 and over the next 6 decades, 12+ million were to follow.
In June 1897, a fire on Ellis Island burned the facilities to the ground. Although no-one died, Federal and State immigration records since 1855 were utterly destroyed. The USA Treasury quickly ordered the immigration facility be replaced and all future structures built on Ellis Island had to be fireproof. In Dec 1900, the new Main Building was opened and 2,251 immigrants rushed in.
Clearly Castle Garden was too small to handle the growing numbers of immigrants. And crooked immigration officials took bribes in exchange for letting immigrants get off in Manhattan, without first going through inspection at Ellis Island. The Federal government intervened and needed a new Federally-operated station on Ellis Island.
The new structure on Ellis Island opened in Jan 1892 and over the next 6 decades, 12+ million were to follow.
In June 1897, a fire on Ellis Island burned the facilities to the ground. Although no-one died, Federal and State immigration records since 1855 were utterly destroyed. The USA Treasury quickly ordered the immigration facility be replaced and all future structures built on Ellis Island had to be fireproof. In Dec 1900, the new Main Building was opened and 2,251 immigrants rushed in.
However steerage/3rd class immigrants travelled in crowded, unsanitary conditions near the bottom of steam ships, sea sick in their bunks during rough Atlantic Ocean crossings. Upon arrival in New York City, the steerage passengers were transported from the pier by ferry to Ellis Island, to undergo medical and legal inspections.
Migration was rising at the turn of the century and in 1907 more people (c1.25 million) immigrated to the USA than any other year, including Catholics and Jews from eastern Europe. Tradesmen struggled to build new facilities to accommodate this great influx of new immigrants. Hospital buildings, dormitories, contagious disease wards and kitchens all were built as quickly as possible.
As the USA entered WW1, immigration to the USA decreased. In 1918-9, suspected enemy aliens were investigated onboard ship; at the docks they were transferred from Ellis Island so that the USA Navy with the Army Medical Department could control the island complex.
After WW1, a Red Scare spread across America & thousands of suspected alien radicals were interned & later deported. New arrivals faced rejection if they were anarchists, had a criminal record or showed poor moral character. So Ellis Island bears a sombre history as a detention centre for thousands of suspected communists and radical immigrants. Yet the overall number of people denied entry at Ellis Island was low; from 1892-1954, only c2% were rejected.
Nasty right-wing politicians demanded greater restrictions on immigration. Yet the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Alien Contract Labour Law and the institution of a literacy test barely stemmed the flood of new immigrants. So the Quota Laws (1921) and the National Origins Act (1924) were passed. These restrictions were based upon a percentage system according to the number of ethnic groups already living in the USA according to the 1890 & 1910 Censuses. It was an attempt to preserve the ethnic flavour of the old immigrants from North & West Europe, superior to all other races and ethnicities. The doctors who oversaw the medical examinations at Ellis Island led by example - Southern and Eastern Europeans possessed a deteriorating character which made restriction justifiable and necessary.
Ellis Island food tables for third class passengers
During WW2, enemy merchant seamen and Nazi sympathisers were detained. And the USA Coast Guard also trained 60,000 servicemen there. But it all ended in Nov 1954 when the last detainee was released, and Ellis Island officially closed to immigrants. Aliens and deportees were moved out in Nov 1954 and the port was closed for good.
Starting in 1984, there was a major historic restoration of Ellis Island. The Main Building was reopened to the public in Sep 1990 as the Immigration Museum.