Directly behind the Statue of Liberty is Ellis Island, established on January 1, 1892. Ellis Island was created to process a vast majority of immigrants. To some, Ellis Island is known …show more content…
These doctors were surgeons of the U.S. Public Health Service. They were inspecting the moving line for anyone who is gasping, coughing, or wobbling as they climb the steep stairs. With only a few seconds to examine each immigrant, they checked for sixty symptoms which could indicate a wide range of diseases, disabilities, and physical conditions. Within a few minutes, immigrants had to answer twenty nine questions. It took an average of five hours to pass through the inspection process. Approximately two percent of immigrants failed because of criminal records, disease, or other unwanted responses. Apart from the inspections, the government wanted immigrants to have at least eighteen dollars to support themselves while establishing themselves in the United States.
The first immigrant to pass through the immigration process at Ellis Island is Annie Moore, a fifteen year old from Ireland. On November 12, 1954, the immigration station processed its last immigrants. Only 2.3 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island. Today, it functions as a museum. Seven Moore, an economist at the Cato Institute says, “America is more than a country, it’s an idea with concepts like freedom. Most new immigrants buy into this idea. That’s one of the reasons why they want to be here” (Masci). Ellis Island is the genesis of freedom in