A Brief History Of The Immigrants Who Came Through Ellis Island
Before there was such thing as a Long Island computer or Long Island computer repair, hundreds of immigrants came to the now famous landmark named New York Harbor. Immigrants from all around the world came through this place looking to start a new life in the United States. It is absolutely essential for Americans to understand where many of their ancestors came from and how the United States has come to be known as a melting pot of so many different cultures. This article discusses in brief the history of immigration in the United States, particularly the waves of immigrants who came into the country via New York and the Statue of Liberty.
The first wave of immigrants to come through this very valuable American landmark was in 1892 when many Germans and Irish came to the United States beginning in the middle part of the 1800’s after the great Potato Famine in Ireland. A similar farming situation in Germany is the reason why a number of Germans made the decision to immigrate to the United States. Contrary to popular belief, the amount of immigrants during this time from Germany and Ireland was not too big. This time is just significant because the sum of those that did immigrate hear was bigger than normal and because of the circumstances that brought those immigrants to America.
Between the early 1900’s and 1924 it was mostly Europeans who were coming to America for a new life. People from Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Italy, and Spain were the main source of immigration in America throughout the first twenty years of the new century. It is important for people to understand that this is the time when the American economy really started to boom from the industrial revolution. This is also the time when Henry Ford had created the assembly line for the production of automobiles. When these immigration events are put into a historical context, it is not too difficult to understand why people were willing to leave their home countries in search of a chance at a better life.
In 1924, immigration through New York Harbor was almost put to a halt due to the estimated amount of immigrants that were coming through the area. Immigration was limited so much so that only war refugees were given permission to enter through New York Harbor and even that was limited as well. The law put in place was meant to restrict Eastern Europeans, especially those of Jewish descent from coming into the United States, as there were thousands of immigrants from these nations and this religious background beginning to request access into the country.
The landmark was officially closed as far as the immigration offices were concerned in 1952 and the offices were moved into New York City. This site is now under federal preservation for its’ historical significance to about one-third of all Americans living in the United States today. If not for the amount and type of immigration that has occurred in the United States since the mid-1800’s, the country would not be what it is today. It is really quite essential to our nations that know where they came from in order to move forward into the future.
