Ellis Island Impact

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Before the Civil War, immigrants could come into the United States easily. The difficult part for them was just gaining enough funds to get on the voyage to America. However, after the Civil War ended, the federal government began placing various restrictions on immigrants that arrived. Ellis Island was one of the tools that was utilized in order to help the new immigration policies that were being set. Ellis Island is often seen as being the gateway for many immigrants that wanted new opportunities in the land of the free. Indeed it was. Many of the immigrants were traveling the U.S were trying to escape the political turmoil and poverty of their home country. Ellis Island’s importance was insurmountable until its decline due to political …show more content…
Between 1877 and 1890, more than 6.3 million immigrants had arrived in the United States. During this period, Congress, who was also being pressured by nativists, began to pass legislation in order to control the rates of immigration. One of the most notable decisions to limit this immigration was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that prohibited immigration of Chinese laborers. Ten years later, Ellis Island was created. Originally, Ellis Island was a military fort that protected the New York Harbor during the American Revolution. The federal government bought the land from New York and began adding landfill to the original 3.3 acres. After construction was finished, Ellis Island would cover 27.5 acres of land. At Ellis Island, immigrants were inspected for any medical anomalies and legal troubles. About 80 percent of immigrants passed through the process in hours. The rest would be placed into quarantine for medical reasons or detained for further questioning because of legal reasons. However, in the 62 years that Ellis Island operated, only 2 percent of immigrants were wholly rejected. Ellis Island’s burst of immigration started to decline during and after

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