Preview
Creation Date
1905
Description
In this image, immigrants can be seen disembarking from a barge onto Ellis Island to be interviewed and medically examined before being admitted as United States citizens. Ellis Island was named for the person who bought it in 1774, Sameul Ellis, but would not gain its fame until 1892 when the immigrant center was opened to support Castle Garden with dealing with the massive wave of immigrants from a troubled Europe. Ellis Island would be operational between 1892 and 1954, seeing over twelve million immigrants pass through its halls. During its operation, 1907 proved to be the busiest year for the immigration center, and despite its infamous nickname as the “Island of Tears” only two percent of all immigrants were denied United States citizenship. The reasons for denied citizenship were often because the individual had a criminal past, were likely to instigate trouble, or possessed a contagious disease that could escalate into an epidemic. After the establishment of embassies offering immigration services after World War I and the implementation of various immigration regulation laws by the United States in the 1920s, Ellis Island saw greatly decreased usage. Despite being briefly used as a detainment camp during World War II, the island admitted its last detainee as a United States citizen in November 1954 and was shut down.
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