American passage : the history of Ellis Island / Vincent J. Cannato.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cannato, Vincent J., 1967-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ellis Island Immigration Station (N.Y. and N.J.)--History.

Ellis Island Immigration Station (N.Y. and N.J.).

National Book Committee.

Emigration and immigration.

History.

Immigrants.

Ellis Island (N.J. and N.Y.)--History.

Ellis Island (N.J. and N.Y.).

Immigrants--New York (State)--New York--History.

Immigrants--United States--History.

United States.

United States--Emigration and immigration--History.

New York (N.Y.)--Emigration and immigration--History.

New York (N.Y.).

New York (State)--New York.

Physical Description:

viii, 487 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Harper, [2009]

Summary:

Ellis Island had been an obscure little island that barely held itself above high tide. Today it stands alongside Plymouth Rock in our nation's founding mythology as the place where many of our ancestors first touched American soil. Ellis Island's heyday--from 1892 to 1924--coincided with one of the greatest mass movements of individuals the world has ever seen, with some twelve million immigrants inspected at its gates. Historian Vincent J. Cannato illuminates the story of Ellis Island, from the 19th century days when it hosted pirate hangings, to the turn of the 20th century when massive migrations sparked fierce debate and hopeful new immigrants often encountered corruption, harsh conditions, and political scheming. Accounts of immigrants, officials, interpreters, and social reformers all play a role in the chronicle. Long after Ellis Island ceased to be the nation's preeminent immigrant inspection station, the debates that swirled around it are still relevant.--From publisher description.

Contents:

Part I Before the Deluge

Chapter 1 Island 19

Chapter 2 Castle Garden 30

Part II The Sifting Begins

Chapter 3 A Proper Sieve 57

Chapter 4 Peril at the Portals 70

Chapter 5 Brahmins 95

Chapter 6 Feud 107

Part III Reform and Regulation

Chapter 7 Cleaning House 127

Chapter 8 Fighting Back 149

Chapter 9 The Roosevelt Straddle 165

Chapter 10 Likely to Become a Public Charge 191

Chapter 11 "Czar Williams" 216

Chapter 12 Intelligence 238

Chapter 13 Moral Turpitude 260

Part IV Disillusion and Restriction

Chapter 14 War 289

Chapter 15 Revolution 311

Chapter 16 Quotas 330

Chapter 17 Prison 350

Part V Memory

Chapter 18 Decline 379

Chapter 19 The New Plymouth Rock 391.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [424]-472) and index.

ISBN:

9780060742737

0060742739

OCLC:

232977448