The famous Statue of Liberty National Monument
Two
famous New York City landmarks are the Statue of Liberty and Ellis
Island, making up the Statue of Liberty National Monument. With their
historical and symbolic significance, these two icons of America stand as
a reminder of the American ideals of freedom, liberty and justice for
all.
The people of France gave the Statue of Liberty to the people of the
United States more than a century ago in recognition of the friendship
established during the American Revolution. Since then, the Statue of
Liberty's symbolism has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as
international friendship.
Commissioned by the French government to design a sculpture by 1876 to
commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the American Declaration of
Independence, Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, with the help of
Eiffel Tower designer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, began to create the
colossal copper monument. The statue was completed in 1884 and shipped to
New York Harbor, arriving in 1885 in 350 pieces, packed in 214 crates.
The pedestal was completed in 1886 and the statue rebuilt in time for the
final dedication in October of that year.
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site after its refurbishment in 1986,
the Statue of Liberty stands for the pillars on which the American
constitution was established, including life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. It serves as a beacon to all visitors to this busy port.
Ellis Island has played an integral role in the shaping of America.
Between 1892 and 1954, more than 12 million immigrants entered the United
States through this portal, a small island in the shadow of the Statue of
Liberty. Before 1890, individual states, rather than the Federal
government, had regulated immigration into the United States. Between
1855 and 1890, Castle Garden, or Castle Clinton, in the Battery, had
served as the New York State immigration station allowing about eight
million immigrants, mostly from northern and western Europe, to pass
through its doors. These early immigrants came from countries such as
Britain, Ireland, Germany and Scandinavia and constituted the first large
wave of immigrants who settled and populated the United States.
Throughout the nineteenth century, political instability, famine and
deteriorating economic conditions in Europe caused the largest mass
migration in human history. In 1890 President Benjamin Harrison
designated Ellis Island the first federal immigration station in order to
handle the growing numbers of immigrants.
It opened on 1 January 1892 and the following day Annie Moore, a 15
year-old Irish girl, was the first immigrant to be processed here. Over
the next 62 years, more than 12 million people followed her.
While most immigrants entered the United States through New York Harbor,
others sailed into Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco,
Savannah, Miami and New Orleans.
During the
early twentieth century, immigration officials mistakenly thought the
peak of immigration had already passed, but it was actually on the rise
and in 1907 around 1.25 million were processed at Ellis Island.
As the United States entered World War I, emigration to the United States
slowed. Between 1918 and 1919 numerous suspected enemy aliens from across
the United States were detained on Ellis Island, then transferred to
other locations to allow the US Navy and the Army Medical Department to
take over the complex. During this time, regular inspection of arriving
immigrants was conducted on board ship or at the docks. At the end of the
war, a big 'Red Scare' spread across America and thousands of suspected
alien radicals were interred at Ellis Island. Hundreds were later
deported simply because they were associated, however loosely, with any
organizations advocating revolt against the federal government. In 1920,
Ellis Island reopened as an immigration receiving station processing a
further 225,206 immigrants.
Because of concerns about increased immigration in the years up to 1924,
increased restrictions on immigration were brought in.
Ellis Island remained open for many years and in 1965, President Johnson
declared it part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Following a
thorough restoration, Ellis Island opened to the public in partnership
with the National Park Service. Today the Ellis Island Immigration Museum
receives almost 2 million visitors annually.
