Ellis Island
There is a small island on the New York Harbor that has witnessed over twelve million immigrants pass by its doors from 1892 to 1954; the golden portal is called Ellis Island. I went to see this museum on Wednesday, November 26, 2004 and I loved it. As soon as I walked in the Museum I felt as if I had walked into another time, the foyer is huge and I tried to imagine myself as an immigrant seeing all this for the first time and it was intimidating. People came from many lands; there were Bantu, Chinese, Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, Mexicans, Palestinians, Poles, Russians, Vietnamese, etc. Countless of Americans are descendants from these waves of immigrants. On the main floor you also the see Baggage Room that was restored to resemble the baggage from the period. When I stepped into the Registry Room I was in awe. Here was the focal point for the newcomers because they were question in the same are that I was standing in. This was where they were given permission to enter the land or denied access.
This gateway was that started the melting pot in this country. This is the longest wall of names in the world and it overlooks the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty. I was briefly talking to a tour guide and she informed me that to the immigrants Ellis Island looked like a gracious haven on the outside but on the inside it was a place of cruelty and corruption. The names were put on the wall by the ancestors of these immigrants who donated $100. The wall is so moving because as you walk down you try to think about all the stories behind the names and their motives to come here. Newcomers were sold tickets at inflated prices and the seller would then pocket the money, pretty young girls were given passes by conductors only if they would meet them at a hotel later on, and immigrants were forced to buy boxed lunches that they didn't even want at outrageous prices. Another artifact was their pass that they used to get into this country because all their dreams were on that one piece of paper. The Dutch then purchased the island and called it "Little Oyster Island" because of the delectable oysters found in its bay. These immigrants were, in some way, the pioneers of the great diversity we have in NYC. The room has about 1,000 artifacts and pictures that were donated to the museum from the descendants of the immigrants. Everyone who lives in New York should experience this tour. and was originally known to the Native American as Kioshk, or gull Island, because those birds were its only inhabitants. Another perk is that the museum is a self- guided tour which has an advantage because you can linger in any exhibit that you like for whatever amount of time that you please. The Wall of Honor has more than 600,000 names from courageous men and women who risked everything to come here and left behind everything that they knew in their homeland.
Common topics in this essay:
Treasures Home,
Ellis Island,
Wall Honor,
Countless Americans,
York Harbor,
American Revolution,
American Kioshk,
Oyster Island,
Gibbet Island,
American Dream,
ellis island,
wall honor,
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Acceptance Essays
