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The island becomes property of the us government
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Period: to
For most of the 19th century it serves as a site for the execution of criminals and pirates
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First immigrant passes through Ellis island
Annie Moore, a 15 year old Irish girl, is the first immigrant to pass through the Ellis island checkpoint -
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In this timespan it serves as a immigration check in
While during the 19th century immigrants mostly came from Ireland, Germany and the Scandinavian countries, by the end of the century more and more people were arriving from southern and Eastern Europe. This included Jews escaping from political and economic oppression in Russia and Eastern Europe and Italians escaping poverty in their country, but also Hungarians, Poles, Czechs, Serbs, Greeks, Turks, Arabs, and Armenians. -
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2 decades of disuse
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Ellis island opens for tours, and becomes the symbol of America’s immigration heritage
Today this museum attracts over 2 million visitors a year