May 2, 2026
Tag: Ellis Island
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Castle Garden, the Gateway to Ellis Island
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America’s welcome mat at Ellis Island in New York was for refugees — from hunger, political unrest, or poverty. While before 1890 the states controlled immigration, in 1890 the federal government took control through the Departments of Commerce, Labor, and (in 1940) Justice. Ellis Island wasn’t the only federal immigration center, but it was the…
Past Article
December 29, 2019 No Comments
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) wrote in his epic poem Evangeline: This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms. We don’t know if he was writing […]