Ellis Island

Ellis Island is a historical island vis-a-vis the town of New York in the State of the New Jersey to the the United States near to the Statue of Freedom. Historical place become a Symbol emblematic and historic building where the Immigrating S massively unloaded in the Nouveau World between 1892 and 1954 in search to carry out the American Rêve.

History

The island accommodated approximately 12 million people between her opening the 1892 and its closing the November 19th 1954. The majority of the immigrants who passed by Ellis Island were European, but a considerable number of them also came from Arab Pays dominated by the Ottoman Empire, which lasted of the XVe century with the XXe century.

This island, from 1,2 hectare in the beginning, extended to 11 hectares progressively from the growth from the center from examination from the Immigrating S. One could in peak period examine to 5000 people per day.

After 1924 and the laws on the quotas of immigration of Johnson-Reed, which decreased the Immigration considerably, the center became a place of detention and expulsion for the undesirable foreigners.

After having had several other functions, it shelters today the “national museum of the history of the immigration of the the United States” since 1990, and of the exposures, the photographs, the files and the oral accounts recall there the history of the Immigration in the United States.

New York or New Jersey?

Ellis Island was always regarded as belonging to the State of New York which bought it with the commercial farmer and Samuel Ellis. It is however about an island and the coast nearest is that of the New Jersey. The question thus arises of knowing in which State the island belongs. The Supreme court of the United States sliced in favor of the New Jersey; however, the totality of the buildings belong to New York.

Extension of the island

The extension of the island was made necessary by the increase in the number of immigrants there forwarding and the need to build, for example, a hospital. The island thus multiplied by ten of surface. The ground used for this enlarging comes mainly from the digging of the Métro of New York, built at the same time.

Before Ellis Island

Before 1892 and the opening of Ellis Island like centers reception of the Immigré S with New York, the unloading of the travellers was done with Fort Clinton, in the extreme south of Manhattan (today in Battery Park). Ellis Island was called Fort Gibson and was then a military place belonging to the strategy of defense of the city against the British fleet. The inhabitants of Manhattan complained then, charging many evils to the Immigré S. the island was considered like a good solution making it possible to isolate the newcomers before their acceptance and to avoid the escapes. One named the island Ellis Island in reference to Samuel Ellis, owner of the island in the Années 1770, before his repurchase by the State of New York.

Arrival with Ellis Island

By unloading boat which had brought them up to that point, the candidates with the Immigration underwent a Medical examination and a administrative Examen. The goal was to check that the candidate answered the criteria of admission to the immigration towards the United States, was ready to work and to earn its living and did not constitute a threat for the company.

Medical examination

the medical examination started as of the rise of the steps necessary to reach the principal room of the building. Army medical officers, in uniform and intimidating, observed the step of the candidates, seeking the signs of 60 affections or defects (physical and mental) at each individual. Being given the very great number of people to examine each day and the little of doctors available, 6 seconds were granted on average to each newcomer. If a problem were suspecté, the subject was marked with chalk, identified thus to undergo a thorough examination.
Then each newcomer underwent a series of examinations quite as fast but more precise. There was in particular an examination of the Yeux (the lower part of the Paupière), carried out thanks to a hook with buttons.

Administrative examination

Series of questions were posed with each newcomer. Often, the problem of the language arose, one found a translator then. It was possible no to recut information, the agents thus applied to being intimidating and suspicieux in order to flush out the possible liars. Without that being official during all the period of operation of the center, the general rule wanted that each immigrant was to have with him what to pay the voyage until his final destination and 25 dollars (the one week equivalent of wages of a civil servant like those working on the island of the time).

Contrary to what could be thought, the fact of having an employment envisaged while arriving was a sufficient reason of reference. That is explained by the problem why posed the miserable immigrants with whom one made gleam a work paid well according to the standards of their countries of origin, but which would not have been sufficient to provide for their needs with the the United States. Another reason was that the workers already on the spot refused the competition from underpaid abroad.

Rejected

In the event of refusal of the administration, the return of the candidate was done if possible in the same boat as the arrival, with the load of the various conveyers.

The children of less than 10 years which were refused were returned accompanied by an adult to the load of the port but those which had more than 10 years were regarded as able to only manage. If one of the parents wanted to accompany back it they were to pay a round trip ticket for an adult. Most of the time the refused people were not returned in their country of origin.