Ellis+Island+-+19th+Century

Ellis Island was a way to access a new way of life that was not offered in other countries. From 1892 throughout 1954, more than 12 million immigrants sought a safe haven for a new way of life in America.
 * Ellis Island: A gateway to a new life. **
 * __ Introduction: __**
 * __ Introduction: __**

- Roughly Forty percent of the American population, (over 100 million Americans) can trace their family ancestry and their genes through at least one man, woman, or child who entered America through Ellis Island.
 * __Historical Background:__**

- Ellis Island is located in the New York just off the New Jersey coast, Right next to the Statue of Liberty.

- Through the years, this historic site was enlarged from its original 3.3 acres to 27.5 acres. The local Indian tribes had called it "Kioshk" or Gull Island.

- After much legal haggling over the ownership of the island, the Federal government purchased Ellis Island from New York State in 1808. It later became a military stronghold, and was renamed Fort Gibson in 1812.

- During the early 1900's, immigration was on the rise and in 1907, more people immigrated to the United States than any other year; approximately 1.25 million immigrants came through Ellis Island to America. Hospital buildings, dormitories, contagious disease wards and kitchens were all constructed between 1900 and 1915.

- After 1924 Ellis Island became primarily a detention and deportation processing center. Ellis Island held American civilians or immigrants detained for fear of spying, sabotage, and treason.

-It was also a processing center for returning sick or wounded U.S. soldiers, and a Coast Guard training base. Ellis Island still managed to process tens of thousands of immigrants a year during this time, but many fewer than the hundreds of thousands a year who arrived before World War I.

- In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson declared Ellis Island part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Ellis Island was opened to the public on a limited basis between 1976 and 1984.

- The Main Building was reopened to the public on September 10, 1990 as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Today, the museum receives almost 2 million visitors annually.

- Did you know that a myth states that government officials on Ellis Island forced immigrants to take new names against their wishes? In fact, no historical records support this claim. Immigration inspectors were under strict supervision and were more interested in preventing ineligible aliens from entering the country than in assisting them in trivial personal matters such as altering their names.

The station's commissioners were:
 * 1) 1890–1893 [|Colonel John B. Weber] (Republican)
 * 2) 1893–1897 Dr. Joseph H. Senner (Democrat)
 * 3) 1897–1902 Thomas Fitchie (Republican)
 * 4) 1902–1905 William Williams (Republican)
 * 5) 1905–1909 Robert Watchorn (Republican)
 * 6) 1909–1913 William Williams (Republican), 2nd term
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1914–1919 Dr. [|Frederic C. Howe] (Democrat)
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1920–1921 Frederick A. Wallis (Democrat)
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1921–1923 Robert E. Tod (Republican)
 * 10) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1923–1926 Henry C. Curran (Republican)
 * 11) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1926–1931 Benjamin M. Day (Republican)
 * 12) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1931–1934 Edward Corsi (Republican)
 * 13) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1934–1940 Rudolph Reimer (Democrat)
 * 14) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1940–1942 Byron H. Uhl
 * 15) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1942–1949 W. Frank Watkins
 * 16) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1949–1954 Edward J. Shaughnessy





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