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| ::''For the island of Australia, See ].'' | |||
| {{Infobox_protected_area | name = Ellis Island National Monument | |||
| | iucn_category = III | |||
| | image = US_Locator_Blank.svg | |||
| | caption = | |||
| | locator_x = 255 | |||
| | locator_y = 65 | |||
| | location = ] & ], ] | |||
| | nearest_city = ] | |||
| | lat_degrees = 40 | |||
| | lat_minutes = 41 | |||
| | lat_seconds = 59 | |||
| | lat_direction = N | |||
| | long_degrees = 74 | |||
| | long_minutes = 2 | |||
| | long_seconds = 23 | |||
| | long_direction = W | |||
| | area = 58.38 acres (0.24 km²) (includes ]) | |||
| | established = ], ] | |||
| | visitation_num = 3,618,053 (includes Statue of Liberty NM) | |||
| | visitation_year = 2004 | |||
| | governing_body = ] | |||
| }} | |||
| <!-- Note: site is not listed in IUCN database, but appears to conform with Category III --> | |||
| '''Ellis Island''', at the mouth of the ] in ], was at one time the main ] port for immigrants entering the ] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ellis Island is within the boundaries of ], but is within both the states of ] and ]. It is wholly in the possession of the Federal government as a part of ], and is under the jurisdiction of the US ]. According to the ], the island, which was largely artificially created through the ] process, has an official land area of 129,619 square meters, or 32.03 ], more than 83 percent of which lies in the city of Jersey City. The natural portion of the island, lying in ], is 21,458 square meters (5.302 acres), and is completely surrounded by the artificially created New Jersey portion. | |||
| The Ellis Island Immigrant Station was designed by architects Edward Lippincott Tilton and William Boring. They received a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition for the buildings' design. They were later hired to design and construct the magnificent Tome School for Boys in Port Deposit Maryland. | |||
| Ellis Island takes its name from Samuel Ellis, a ] immigrant who owned the island during the late 1700s and kept a tavern, serving sailors and local fishermen. | |||
| :] | |||
| ==History== | |||
| The federal immigration station opened on ], ] and was closed in November 1954 but not before processing more than 12 million immigrants. For more than 40 years prior to this over 8 million immigrants were processed locally by ] officials at ] in Manhattan. At Ellis Island, only about 2 percent were denied admission to the U.S. and sent back to their countries of origin for reasons such as chronic disease, criminal background, or insanity <ref>, retrieved January 12, 2006.</ref>. Immigrants were examined by doctors and questioned by government officials. Many who were allowed entry settled in New York and northern New Jersey for at least their first few years in America. During this time period, ] ( between ] and the Pacific Ocean in ]) served a similar purpose on the West Coast, processing mostly Chinese immigrants. | |||
| Ellis Island was the first stop for most immigrants from Europe. There, they were processed before they could enter the United States. First, they had to pass a physical examination. Those with serious health problems or diseases were sent home or were held in the island's hospital facilities for long periods of time. Next, they were asked a series of questions, including name, occupation, work experience, and the amount of money they carried with them. Generally, those immigrants who were approved spent from hours up to a day at Ellis Island. However, more than three thousand would-be immigrants died on Ellis Island while being held in the hospital facilities. Some unskilled workers and immigrants were rejected outright because they were considered "likely to become a public charge." | |||
| Writer ] came to America from ], in southeastern Europe, in 1913. Adamic described the night he spent on Ellis Island. He and many other immigrants slept on bunk beds in a huge hall. Lacking a warm blanket, the young man "shivered, sleepless, all night, listening to snores" and dreams "in perhaps a dozen different languages." | |||
| Aside from Adamic, other Ellis Island immigrants that achieved some measure of status in their newly adopted country included ], ], ], Ettore Boiardi ("]"), ], ], ], ], Samuel Chotzinoff, ], ], Edward Corsi, ], ], ], ], ], Father ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], Col. ], ], ], ], John Londos (The Golden Greek), ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], Pauline Trigere, ], and ]. | |||
| After 1924, Ellis Island was only used for detainees and refugees. Ordinary immigrants were processed through other facilities. | |||
| As with all historic areas administered by the ], Ellis Island, along with ], was listed on the ] on ], ]. | |||
| Today, Ellis Island houses a museum, reachable by ferry from ] in ] and from the southern tip of ] in New York City. The ], sometimes thought to be on Ellis Island because of its symbolism as a welcome to immigrants, is actually on nearby ]. | |||
| Ellis island was also known as "The Isle of Tears" or "Heartbreak island."<ref>Davis, Kenneth (2003), ''Don't Know Much About American History,'' HarperTrophy, ISBN 0-06-440836-1 ("Isle of Tears" or "Heartbreak Island," p. 123)</ref> About 2% of the millions of immigrants were sent back to their countries and did not become U.S. citizens after a long travel to Ellis island | |||
| ==Legacy== | |||
| Ellis Island is also known as a place where people changed their names; however, this is largely legend. It is said that if the immigration officer could not spell the original name, they would come up with an approximation, or something shorter or simpler, such as "Ellen Pollock" for "Helena Polonowycz". This is said to have been especially common when the newcomer couldn't read and write English. However, immigrants' identities were backed by their travel documents and ship lists, and they were often assisted by immigration societies of fellow countrymen. Very few cases of name changes can be traced to immigration processing while "Americanization" of ethnic names was a common occurrence as immigrants blended into everyday existence among friends and coworkers in their new country. Still, such events were not unheard of; author ] has stated that his grandfather, an Austrian Jew who spoke no English, had his name, which was difficult to pronounce for English speakers, changed at Ellis Island to "Raucher," the German word for "smoker." | |||
| Ellis Island mainly consisted of two types of immigrants: old immigrants and new immigrants. Old immigrants came prior to 1890, mostly from northern and western Europe. New immigrants came after 1890 from the Eastern and Southern parts of Europe. It is said that newer immigrants were not accepted as easily for cultural reasons as well as physical reasons (some were not as white as the old immigrants; white peoples were seen as superior). | |||
| Many immigrants were tested for mental problems, physical problems and other illnesses. Those who were wealthy did not have to take these exams. | |||
| More than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. Many Americans can trace their immigrant ancestors through Ellis Island. | |||
| ==Jurisdiction== | |||
| On ], ], Ellis Island was proclaimed a part of ] and is managed by the ]. Because it is owned by the federal government the long-running jurisdictional dispute between the states of ] and ] was simply academic. The island is on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. During the colonial period, however, New York had taken possession, and New Jersey had acquiesced in that action. In a compact between the two states, approved by ] in 1834, New Jersey therefore agreed that New York would continue to have exclusive jurisdiction over the island. | |||
| Thereafter, however, the federal government expanded the island by ], so that it could accommodate the immigration station that opened in 1892. Landfilling continued until 1934. Nine-tenths of the current area is ] that did not exist at the time of the interstate compact. | |||
| New Jersey contended that the new extensions were part of New Jersey, since they were not part of the previous cession. New Jersey eventually filed suit to establish its jurisdiction, leading New York City Mayor ] famously to remark that his father, an Italian who immigrated through Ellis Island, never intended to go to New Jersey. | |||
| The dispute eventually reached the ], which ruled in 1998 that New Jersey had jurisdiction over all portions of the island created after the original compact was approved. This caused several immediate problems: some buildings, for instance, fell into the territory of both states. New Jersey and New York soon agreed to share claims to the island. It remains wholly a Federal property, however, and none of this expensive legal maneuvering has resulted in either state taking any fiscal or physical responsibility for the maintenece, preservation, or improvement of any of the historic properties that make the island so significant in the first place. | |||
| ==Inspection Symbols== | |||
| {{unreferencedsect}} | |||
| These inspection symbols were chalked on the clothing of sick or otherwise "defective" hopeful immigrants, and some only entered the country by surreptitiously wiping them off. | |||
| <!-- need better explanation --> | |||
| * '''C''' - ] | |||
| * '''B''' - ] | |||
| * '''CT''' - ] | |||
| * '''E''' - ] | |||
| * '''EC''' - ] | |||
| * '''F''' - ] | |||
| * '''FT''' - ] | |||
| * '''G''' - ] | |||
| * '''H''' - ] | |||
| * '''K''' - ] | |||
| * '''L''' - ] | |||
| * '''M''' - ] | |||
| * '''N''' - ] | |||
| * '''P''' - Physical and ] | |||
| * '''PG''' - ] | |||
| * '''SC''' - ] (]) | |||
| * '''SI''' - Special Inquiry | |||
| * '''WOP''' - Without papers | |||
| * '''X''' - Suspected Mental Defect | |||
| * '''X (circled)''' - Definite Mental Defect | |||
| There are one or two signs not available here. | |||
| <!--And it would be nice if somebody could add them--> | |||
| ==Other== | |||
| The main building now houses a ] in addition to being a historic site. It is legally in New York state, while the southern part of the island, which holds the unrestored infirmary and hospital buildings, was given back to New Jersey in the court settlement. There is now a land bridge that connects Ellis Island with Jersey City, although visitors must travel by ferry. | |||
| ==Trivia== | |||
| The first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island was ], a 15 year old girl from ], Ireland. She and her two brothers were coming to America to meet their parents, who had moved to New York two years prior. She received a greeting from officials and a $10.00 gold piece. | |||
| The last person processed at Ellis Island was Jason Prager, a Russian Jew seeking refuge in New York. {{fact}} | |||
| ==Media== | |||
| {{unreferencedsect}} | |||
| {{multi-video start}} | |||
| {{multi-video item | | |||
| filename = Ellis Island immigration footage.ogg | | |||
| title = Ellis Island immigration footage, 1906 | | |||
| description = Depicts scenes at the Immigration Depot and a nearby dock on Ellis Island. (3:37, 16.6 ], ]/] format). | | |||
| format = ] | |||
| }} | |||
| {{multi-video end}} | |||
| The island was a scene used in '']'', a ] starring ]. He and ] take a ] to the island and explore the building.{{citation needed}} | |||
| The IMAX 3D movie, , about the New York immigrant experience, incorporates both modern footage and historical photographs of Ellis Island. | |||
| Ellis Island as an entry port to the United States is described in detail in ] by ]. It is also the place where ] was held as an immigrant boy in ].{{citation needed}} | |||
| In the film ], a ] summit held on the island is targeted by ], who attempts to artificially mutate all the deligates present. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <references/> | |||
| * | |||
| Moreno, Barry, ''Encyclopedia of Ellis Island'' (Greenwood Press, 2004) | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Commons|Ellis Island}} | |||
| * Official site: | |||
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| * (in French) | |||
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| {{Geolinks-cityscale|40.6997|-74.0397}} | |||
| {{New York City Islands}} | |||
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Revision as of 12:32, 14 September 2006
hey