Ellis Island as an Immigration Station

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Table of Contents

Overview of Ellis Island
The Impacts of immigration on the overall wage rates
The Impacts of immigration on the wages for unskilled workers
Impacts of immigration on the rate of economic growth and standards of living
The Impacts of immigration on the immigrants
Conclusion
Works Cited

Overview of Ellis Island

Elis Island is located at the end of the Hudson River in New York Harbor. The facility was established on January 1, 1892, to replace the government-run Castle Garden Immigration Depot that had been established from 1855 to 1890 in Manhattan. The location was owned and run by the Federal government. The location’s name was changed and is currently a component of the Statute of Liberty National Monument that is under the authority of the United States National Park Service. The location was involved in a border rivalry between the two states New York and New Jersey. Ellis Island is primarily located in New Jersey through a small part is located in the neighboring New York City.

The island was originally referred to as the Little Oyster Island (Dinnerstein 12). The name was later changed to Ellis Island; a name that the location acquired from Samuel Ellis who was a colonialist. The Ellis Island Immigrant station was planned by two architects: Edward Lippincott Tilton and William Alciphron Boring. The architects were awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition for the excellent design of the building. The architecture competition was the second competition to be held under the Tersely Act. The Act allowed private architects to replace state architects in the Office of the Supervising Architect and to plan Federal Government constructions.

The Federal Immigration Station was launched on January 1, 1892, and was operated until November 12, 1954. Between these periods, it is estimated that over 12 million immigrants were inspected at the station by the United States Bureau of Immigration. In the 35 years that preceded the opening of Ellis Island, more than 8 million immigrants had been registered locally by the New York State officials. The local registration center was located in Manhattan at the Castle Garden Immigration Depot.

The year 1907 was the year that the immigrations at Ellis Island hit its peak. Additionally, this was the same year that the Federal Government hit the all-time high daily immigrant number of 11,747 in a day that was recorded on April 17, 1907 (Dinnerstein 54). The Island was used for screening immigrants for visible health problems or infections. Immigrants who were found to be infected with the disease were sent back home or retained at the Island’s health facilities for long periods. A significant number of immigrants held at the Island’s medical facilities died. The immigrants who passed the medical examinations were subjected to 29 compulsory questions that included: their names, occupation, and the amount of cash that they carried with them. Immigrants who were approved into the United States spent on average between two to five hours on the Island. On the contrary, some unskilled workers who sought admission in the country were outrightly dismissed since they were considered to be a public responsibility. A minority of other immigrants who sought admission were rejected on such grounds as having a contagious chronic disease, mental illness, or criminal convictions. The minority of the un-admitted immigrants who had spent time and energy on the long journey to the Island led to the Island being referred to as “The Heartbreak Island” or the “The Island of Tears”.

During World War 1, Ellis Island was destroyed by the German disruption of the Black Tom Wharf missiles depot. The repairs that were undertaken on the Islands building incorporated the present barrel-vaulted ceiling that dons the Main Hall. During the war, the Island was utilized as the intern base for the German merchant marines a base for holding the adversary aliens and as processing, a base where the sick and wounded United States soldiers were held for treatment. During the war, the Island was still able to process a number of immigrants into the United States; however, the number of immigrants processed could not be compared to the pre-war times. After the war, the number of immigrants rapidly returned to the pre-war levels.

The large immigrant processing on the Island was stopped in 1924. The stoppage was initiated by the passing of the Immigration Act of 1924 that constrained immigration and encouraged the formation of foreign embassies where immigrants could be processed. Thus, the Island’s major responsibilities were shifted to being detention and a deportation center for the radical immigrants.

During the Second World War, the Island adopted new roles. The Island was used as a training base for the Coast Guards; additionally, it served as an intern camp for the adversary aliens such as the American immigrants and nationals who were detained on the suspicions for undercover work or sabotage. It is estimated that a total of 7,000 Italians and Germans were detained at the Island.

The passing of the Internal Security Act of 1950 led to the restrictions being placed on the affiliates of the Communist or the Fascist groups from immigrating into the United States. Prior to the adoption of the restricting legislations, the number of detainees at the Island had hit the al time high of 1,500 detainees. However, after the passing of the restricting immigration laws and policies, the number of detainees at the camp was reduced to only thirty detainees. The Island was closed in November 1954. Though efforts were undertaken to redevelop the Island, they were practically fruitless until the Island acquired a landmark status.

Similar to other historical sites that are managed by the National Park Service, on October 15, 1966, the Island together with the Statute of Liberty was included in the National Register for Historic Places. Presently, Ellis Island is a museum that is accessible via a ferry from two sides; the Liberty State Park that is located in New Jersey, and Manhattan’s southern tip that is located in New York. Liberty Island is often confused for Ellis Island due to its representation as a welcome point for immigrants; however, these are two different sites that are located on two different Islands. There are ferry services that are available between the two islands.

The immigrations through Ellis Island had significant impacts on the immigrants and the people of America, the impacts of immigrants can be categorized in the following categories: the impacts on the overall wage rate of the United States, impacts on the specific group’s wage rates such as the unskilled workers and the impacts on the rate of economic growth and the overall standards of living in the United States.

The Impacts of immigration on the overall wage rates

Increases in immigration contribute to lower wages so long as there are no additional natural resources available. The large-scale immigration into the United States from Western Europe significantly contributed to the westward expansion of the United States. The western expansions led to the increase in the amounts of natural resources that are available to the United States (Hatton and Jeffrey 326). Thus, the increase in the number of immigrants into the United States did not lead to lower wages due to the Westward expansion that led to more factors of production is available. Additionally, these immigrants did not lead to lower wages since they established their own businesses rather than competing with the American Natives for the few available job opportunities.

The Impacts of immigration on the wages for unskilled workers

The majority of the immigrants who entered the United States were mainly skilled workers. The immigrants had higher skill levels than even the Native Americans. The problem arose due to the influx of immigrants of skilled workers into the United States which did not directly impact the wages of unskilled workers. However, more skilled workers started losing their jobs due to increased competition and the adoption of technology that required cheaper less skilled labor. This led to an increase in demand for the unskilled workers leading to an increase in their wage rates (Carter and Sutch 206).

Impacts of immigration on the rate of economic growth and standards of living

The majority of the immigrants into the United States had an inventive and scientific mind. This led to the development and growth of entrepreneurship in the United States. Additionally, the increase in the number of immigrants led to an increase in population which led to an increase in the American markets and the increase in the demand for goods and services within the economy (Hatton and Jeffrey 324). The immigrants into the country are comprised primarily of the working population. This led to an increase in the amount of the working population a fact that led to improved standards of living in the country.

The Impacts of immigration on the immigrants

Specifically to the immigrants, Ellis Island served as a transition place to the majority of the immigrant lives (Cohn 86). A significant majority of the immigrants made a significant shift from their known past and their unfamiliar future. The experience that the immigrants underwent at Ellis Island was an unforgettable experience. To the immigrants who were denied access to the Island, those who spent a significant amount at the Island or died under the Island’s health facilities viewed the Island negatively since they would have performed better at home. The Island had negatively impacted their lives. The immigrants who successfully passed the admission requirement at the Island soon forgot the tribulations of the Island. After passing the admission criteria at the Island, the immigrants were met by their relatives and other persons who directed them to their new lives as American citizens.

Conclusion

In conclusion, in addition to serving as a processing center for immigrants; the Island served as a Dutch oyster fishing site during the seventeenth century. Furthermore, during the eighteenth century, the Island was used as a hanging site for pirates. Thus, a significant majority of the people who lived on the island before it was acquired by Samuel Ellis viewed the island as a source of livelihood due to the fishing that was carried out on the Island’s waters. To the pirates, the Island had negative impacts on them and their families since it had acted as a death site for their loved ones.

Works Cited

Carter, Susan B., and Richard Sutch. Historical Perspectives on the Economic Consequences of Immigration into the United States. Ed. Charles Hirschman, Philip Kasinitz, and Josh DeWind. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1999

Cohn, Raymond L. A Comparative Analysis of European Immigrant Streams to the United States during the Early Mass Migration. Social Science History. 19 (1995): 63-89.

Dinnerstein, Leonard. Ethnic Americans: A History of Immigration. New York: HarperCollins, 1988.

Hatton, Timothy J., and Jeffrey G. Williamson. The Age of Mass Migration: Causes and Economic Impact. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

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