Ellis Island History

“The study of past events,” as stated by Merriam-Webster is the definition of History. [2] Now, let us ask ourselves: What is the history of New York City? This answer can go back to several different decades and towards even centuries, and therefore, we should thus specify our time and landmark of New York City. For this purpose, let us zoom in on a specific place that holds memories of many Americans from the past to present. Let us look at Ellis Island, and its historical context in relevance to New York City. Let us examine its evolution and its impact to not only New York, but towards the entire country of United States of America.
What is Ellis Island? Based on National Park Service and the U.S Department of the Interior, Ellis Island
This landmark opened to the public opened to in 1976 and 1984 with limited access. Progressing from 1984, Ellis Island went through a major restoration, which is deemed to be the biggest historic restoration in United States history. This restoration spent over $160 million dollars. It was funded by donations made to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. as well as the National Park Service. Eventually, the main Building was reopened to the public on September 10, 1990, marked as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. To this day, the island museum receives approximately 2 million visitors annually.
"Over 15,000,000 new Americans entered the Golden Door passing through Ellis Island (Adams, 267)."[6] More importantly, we can see with clarity that Ellis Island served as a fort, which helped defeat the British. Then eventually it became the biggest immigration center; and lastly, it transformed into a monument. In essence, this landmark’s evolution has made New York. It is part of its fundamental core. It is the heart and soul of New York. Because of the rich history behind its creation, it has, in reality, increased the wealth of New York. Today, New York is what it is because of its history and significant events. Imagine not having this port during the Revolutionary War, perhaps, we would not be Americans today. Perhaps we would have been British slaves. Imagine Americans not being able to strategize justly and could not negate the British. What would happen to New York or to America? What would happen to the present and the future of America? When alarming questions such as these are raised, we reflect and realize the significance of this landmark. We can embrace the actions and courage of our past American heroes and accept the decisions made by our government. The beauty of history is that it happened in the past, and we can learn, respect and grow from the previous events. Today, " New York is still the largest immigration port of