Ellis Island was the one place where people from foreign parts of the world had to go in order to immigrate to the United States. In this essay I’m going to talk about immigration to the states, Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty, and the Washington Monument, the memorial to the greatest general of the war.
New York harbor was the most important port in America. Before the cultivation of Ellis Island, it was little more than a bit of sand outside of New York Harbor. It was actually owned privately before it was bought by the federal government. It’s first non-Indian owner was the Dutchman named Michael Paauw. It would go on to be bought by Samuel Ellis, where the island gets its name. The government of New York bought the island from Ellis’ family in 1808. The federal government then bought the island from New York, and then they went on to begin the construction of the Ellis Island Immigration Station. It opened in 1892 to the public. Almost any white male (why those restrictions?) was allowed to immigrate and become a citizen after staying there for two years. People flocked to America for all sorts of reasons, mainly economic or political reasons, but also because America had basically no religious restrictions.
Located near Ellis Island is Liberty Island, called Bedloe island before the Statue of Liberty was placed on it. The statue was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi of France. In 1876, a century after the signing of the Deceleration of Independence, the people of France decided to send a gift to the United States, celebrating the victory of the United States over Britain, and their ideals of liberty. Liberty is actually just the shortened version of the statue’s full name, “Liberty Enlightening the Worldâ€. The French built the statue in France, dissembled it, shipped it to America, and then, on the pedestal built by the Americans, it was rebuilt. The statue of liberty was actually made of copper, meaning that it was reddish-brown copper color when it was built, and has since oxidized into the blueish-green that it is today. In 1933, the statue became an official American monument. In 1937, the island’s name was finally changed from Bedloe to Liberty, and it is now called Liberty Island. Eventually, in 1982, President Ronald Reagan had the statue repaired and restored so that it can last much longer. The statue is mostly hollow, so the supports inside were also updated at this time. The statue is still standing to this day, and whenever somebody was immigrating through the Ellis Island Office, they would also see the statue. Today, Ellis Island is a national museum combined together with the Statue of Liberty.
The Washington Monument is the last thing I am going to talk about in this long, boring essay. It was erected in 1884, and was the tallest structure in the world for a short period of time. For most of its existence, it has been open for public touring. It is located at the national mall in Washington D.C.
In conclusion, Ellis Island has long been the nation’s main office for immigration, and is now a museum. The Statue of Liberty is one of the nation’s largest tourist attractions. Finally, the Washington Monument is a very large and impressive monument for a very important president. Washington was one of the most important men, not just in American history, but also in history in general.