Born of Necessity

As industrialization in the northeastern United States rapidly increased during the 1800s, so too did the area's need for foreign workers. People from all parts of the world, seeking economic opportunity as well as personal freedoms, arrived by the shipload to fill America's vacant jobs. With their limited knowledge of English and American ways, many immigrants quickly fell prey to swindlers and thieves that frequented major ports of immigrant entry. In order to prevent this sort of criminal activity and better regulate the massive influx of foreigners, the U.S. government established the immigration processing station on Ellis Island, New York, in 1892.

With their limited knowledge of English and American ways, many immigrants quickly fell prey to swindlers and thieves that frequented major ports of immigrant entry. In order to prevent this sort of criminal activity and better regulate the massive influx of foreigners, the U.S. government established the immigration processing station on Ellis Island, New York, in 1892.

Initial Obstacles

Ellis Island was by no means an immediate success. After only five years, the original buildings burned to the ground. In reality, this was more a blessing than a tragedy because of the inferior quality of the previous facilities. After replacing the old wooden buildings with beautiful new brick structures, the federal government faced the difficult task of ridding Ellis Island of the corruption and thievery that it was partly established to prevent. President Theodore Roosevelt was particularly instrumental in removing immigration officials and other Ellis Island employees frequently found guilty of tricking immigrants out of their money or exchanging visas in return for seedy favors.

President Roosevelt and his successors were soon able to provide a much sounder environment in which immigrants received their first welcome to the United States. Yet, there was much work to be done in order to reduce misfortunes too often associated with the station's mission of better regulating immigrants. The federal government did not want immigrants bringing contagious diseases into the country, nor did it want to admit anyone likely to soon become a ward of the state. In striving to fulfill these initiatives, countless families were broken up and many people were left emotionally scarred.

Ellis Island doctors denied entry to anyone found having or suspected of having any of several defects or diseases of the body or mind. This forced the occasional returning home of children who had diseases like trachoma, a disease of the eyes common in southeastern Europe. The healthy parents of such children had to quickly decide either to accompany the child back to their homeland, or part with the child in hopes that they would eventually overcome their sickness and later be allowed entry into the U.S.

The high cost of a return trip usually persuaded parents to opt for the latter. In an attempt to try and avoid such distressing circumstances, medical facilities were soon set up to try and take care of entering immigrants and treat them rather than return them home. However, with over a thousand people arriving each day on average, adequate health care for the afflicted proved very difficult to provide.

New Home, New Identity

Those fortunate enough to pass inspection at Ellis Island nonetheless did not depart the station unchanged. They, in effect, were beginning completely new lives. In fact, because of difficult spellings, hasty immigration officers, and countless miscommunications, many of the foreigners received entirely new names. Such immigrants were often registered as having the name of their city of birth, and sometimes their first names were switched to become last names. With new names and high hopes, several immigrants set out and made their names known throughout their new homeland. Had it not been for their successful passage through Ellis Island, we may never have heard of such celebrities as Irving Berlin (Russia), Samuel Goldwyn (Poland), Bob Hope (England), or Bela Lugosi (Hungary).

War-driven Transition

The turmoil of the first half of the twentieth century soured the American public to its brothers across the Atlantic. In the year immediately following the commencement of WWI, immigration through Ellis Island dropped 75 percent. During the years of the Great Depression, more people left or were deported from the United States than were allowed in. During the 1930s, as the American public became increasingly anti-immigrant and immigration laws grew stricter, Ellis Island started to lose its usefulness as an immigrant processing station. In fact, during WWII the station was used more for detaining enemy aliens than for processing immigrants. This decline continued until Ellis Island was officially closed down in November of 1954.

Legacy

During a span of nearly six decades, Ellis Island welcomed 71 percent of all immigrants to the United States. By the time it closed in 1954, nearly 20 million immigrants had passed through its gates. Consequently, nearly half of all Americans can trace their ancestry by way of Ellis Island.

Today, Ellis Island has been transformed into a national monument and is the nation's premiere museum of American immigration history, with millions of visitors annually. The restored buildings stand as monuments to the immigrants who sacrificed much to become Americans. For the tourists who now visit, Ellis Island is a link to the past and a testament to the countless lives that were forever changed as they passed through its doors.

The photographs displayed in this exhibition come from the public domain archives of the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. To learn more about Ellis Island and our immigrant heritage, visit the following websites:

Ellis Island National Monument

Library of Congress Selected Images of Ellis Island

National Archives

Scholastic Books' Interactive Tour of Ellis Island

American Family Immigration History Center

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services