Ellis Island

Ellis Island is an island in the harbour of New York City. Originally it was called Oyster Island by Dutch colonists , and later, by English colonists. The island became property of Samuel Ellis, that’s where the name of the island comes from. Later on there was an fortress build on Ellis Island to protect the New York Harbour in war, like in the war of 1812.

Ellis Island was meant as an place where immigrants would arrive and be examined after a journey by boat to the United States of America. Ellis Island was used for this late in the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century. The immigrants were examined and tested for their ability to live in America. About 2 percent of the people arriving in the USA were sent back to their homeland, mainly because of bad or chronically diseases, like eye disorders or mental diseases. People also got refused because of criminal backgrounds. Most of the immigrants went to live in New York or in the close-by New Yersey.
Only 2 percent of all the people that immigrated to the USA were refused and sent back to their homeland. But almost everyone could live in America and therefore it’s no wonder it’s been said that almost half of all American people has had at least one family relative that came to Ellis Island as an immigrant.

In 1924 the immigration limitations were carried through and after that the rush was over for Ellis Island. After this Ellis Island was still used for locking up political refugees and in the Second World War to shelter Germans and other ‘enemy aliens’.

In 1965 Ellis Island became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and in 1976 it was made public for the spectators. The current Ellis Island National Monument is now visited by 2 million people a year and is set up as a museum.

The museum is established in the main building. It has 3 floors which, together, have a surface of 18.000 square meter. The museum is divided in different expositions which all show another aspect of the immigration. For example the history of Ellis Island but there’s also a lot of attention for the history of the immigrants their selves. By beautiful pictures and items like clothing baggage and tickets their stories are told. There’s also the possibility to see on a computer of any of your own relatives had come to the USA. And outside the museum stands the “Wall of Honor” which mentions the names of about 600.000 immigrants.