Introduction
Ellis Island was an immigration place into America and while the new immigration station was under construction, the Barge Office at the Battery was used for the processing if immigrants. The new structure was opened on January 1st, 1892. Ellis island ended up closing in 1954. Over 12 million immigrants entered through Ellis Island, in the New York Harbor within the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. Many of the immigrants came from Europe, Germany, Ireland, Britain, and Scandinavian countries. The arrival process was time consuming. All of the immigrants first had to wait in the excruciatingly long lines, then they had to have a health inspection to make sure they didn't have any diseases that America had not been exposed to yet. Thirdly they had to answer a barrage of questions. If immigrants failed the medical or immigration inspection, they were placed in detention until they could have a hearing in front of the Board of Special Inquiry, composed of inspectors. Then until 1909, immigrants entering the United States had to pay a head tax of 50 cents per person. This money contributed to the funding for the Office of Immigration.
Angel Island Immigration Station was an immigration station located in San Francisco Bay which operated from January 21, 1910 to November 5, 1940, where immigrants entering the United States were detained and interrogated. The main difference between the Ellis Island immigration station and the Angel Island immigration station was that the majority of the immigrants that traveled through the Angel station were from Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and India.