New York City: Gateway to a Nation

Feature Story by Gavin Truckenmiller

Immigration. A word, a topic, an action, one that is just as deeply woven into the story of the United States of America today as it was when the nation was founded. It has been defended, praised, and villainized. Lives have been lost in pursuit and defense of it, and new life has been given by it. Politicians have run for office on promises of expanding or restricting it since the days of the very first Continental Congress. Many forces drive it: the promise of a fresh start, a desperate escape from persecution, a pursuit of expanded possibilities, and more desires unique to each person. Immigration has created the vibrant tapestry of life that our nation is today. And the threads of tapestry and the history of its weaving are on full display in New York City, intwined with its towering skyscrapers and bustling streets in a way that is impossible to miss.

This is visible even in somewhere as inconspicuous as a public library – though the New York Public Library is hard to call inconspicuous, with its facade of Grecian columns and sculpted lions flanking the grand staircase leading up to its doors. The grandeur does not end after passing through this monumental entrance, which reveals vaulted ceilings and two curving staircases, all of marble. At the base of the staircases are two bronze statues: one of Thomas Hastings, descended from English Puritan immigrants who came to the colonies in the 1600s, and the other of John Merven Carrere, an immigrant from Brazil. Both were architects who worked together on the library’s design in 1897. Inside the library, some of the many cultures that make up the fabric of New York City are on display – literally. Rotating exhibits showcase literary and cultural artifacts that are just as deeply connected with the city as they are with their culture of origin, including displays such as the Niyu Yurk exhibition that celebrates the history of Middle Eastern and North African immigration to the city, and the Schomberg Center exhibitions that celebrate the African American experience in Harlem and beyond through art, photos, and of course, books. Tying it all together in the center is an original copy of the Bill of Rights – though some crucial amendments that would ensure everyone’s voice would be heard no matter where they were from would not come along until later.

The American Museum of Natural History is another place in New York City that features the changing ways in which the voices of not just immigrants have been heard, but also that of the people who lived here first. For when the original European settlements were established in what would later become the United States, they were not founded in an empty land. There were already a myriad of distinct nations and cultures in existence. For much of US history, it has been European immigrants and their descendants who have told the story of the Native Americans, but today more perspectives are coming to light. The Museum of Natural History is currently in the process of renovating the parts of its collection that feature Native American culture to feature more authentic voices that had previously been unheard. The museum has also had to reevaluate its portrayal of other cultures as well, such as those from Asia or South America, as these contained biased and stereotypical views that were common in the era of the early 1900s in which some of the exhibits were originally designed.

Unfortunately, the bias favoring those of European origin or descent was common in the regulation of immigration during this same era. One of the non-European groups that have been extensively discriminated against in the history of the US are immigrants from Asia. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the The Geary Act of 1892 blocked immigration from China. These measures were expanded to limit much of Asia with the 1917 Asiatic Barred Zone Act, and the Immigration act of 1924 nearly completely prevented all Asian immigration to the US. It wasn’t until the 50s that these measures started to be chipped away, and it took until 1965 to completely replace these exclusionary acts, though there were still immigration quotas based on origin in place. One of the results of these lightening of immigration restrictions from Asia was the establishment of Manhattan’s Koreatown in the 1980s. Korean businesses began to flourish along 32^nd street in south Manhattan, and Korean immigrants flocked to the area. The number of Korean immigrants living in Manhattan doubled between 2000 and 2010, with many settling around the nexus of 32^nd Street, which has gained the official nickname of Korea Way. Today New York City has the second highest Korean population of any city outside Korea itself. Signs in Hangul script and independent stores occupying different floors of narrow buildings give Koreatown the appearance of a slice of Seoul. Restaurants such as Korean BBQ, karaoke clubs, and bars – many of which are open 24 hours a day – have made a vibrant hotspot for nightlife in New York City.

The LED lights of Koreatown glow in the shadow of another monumental achievement largely brought about by immigrants: the Empire State Building. Evidence of the immigrants’ labor can seen all across the New York skyline in the form of skyscrapers built during the city’s “race for the sky” in the first quarter of the 1900s. Much of the manpower that brought these engineering marvels to completion was provided by a workforce of immigrants from places such as Ireland and Italy, who often worked long hours for low pay. They suffered similar discrimination as their counterparts from Asia, especially the Irish, who came across the Atlantic in droves following famine and economic hardship in their own country. These workers would perch on girders and support structures hundreds and sometimes even thousands of feet off the ground, with little to no safety equipment. Deaths from falls were common, and the Empire State Building was no exception, with five workers dying from onsite accidents during its construction. But the work they accomplished is nothing short of astonishing: still the second tallest building in New York today behind the One World Trade Center. Standing at 1,454 feet, this New York icon – which sometimes draws more revenue in a year from visitors to its observatory than it does from all the offices it leases out – was built from its ground floor to its top all within the year of 1930. This impressively fast construction reached rates of 4 and a half floors being completed per week. Also of note in addition to the Irish and Italian immigrants who participated in the construction is a sizable number of Native American workers from the Mohawk tribe, which even today prizes what the tribe calls “walking iron,” meaning the high-flying ironwork required for structures such as bridges and skyscrapers.

Many of the immigrants who came to the United States from Ireland and other countries in Europe arrived through New York, which during the latter half of the 19^th century and the first half of the 20^th welcomed more immigrants than all other ports of entry to the US combined. From 1886 onward, these newcomers were welcomed by one of the most famous sights in New York: the Statue of Liberty. Designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Gustave Eifel, who would later go on to construct the Eifel Tower, the idea behind the Statue of Liberty was originally developed by the French historian Eduard de Laboulaye to celebrate the centennial of American Independence. The ideals of freedom both from kings and slavery where the original driving concept behind the statue, but it came to represent this and more: one of the most powerful icons of American immigration, a beacon promising new life and opportunity. Today the Statue continues to welcome visitors from all around the world, and the National Part interpretive center on Liberty Island contains an interactive exhibit where visitors can add their picture and where they are from, which is then incorporated into a collage of the Statue of Liberty.

Ellis Island arguably the most well-known immigration point of entry in US history, but it was preceded by Castle Clinton, the first official US immigration station. Located at the southern tip of Manhattan and one of the oldest building still standing in the city, it was originally built as a fort to defend New York from the British in the War of 1812, but ended up never seeing combat. Instead, it welcomed over 7.5 million immigrants from 1855 to 1890. One of these was a man from Germany who arrived in 1885 after illegally fleeing the military draft. His name was Frederick Trump, and his grandson would go on to become the 45^th and 47^th president of the United States of America. After Ellis Island opened, Castle Clinton went through several more iterations including an aquarium and a music hall, before being transferred to the National Park Service, where it now serves as a launching point for ferries bringing tourists to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

After 1892, immigrants arriving in New York would enter through a newly constructed facility designed to process their entry, located on the small Ellis Island within sight of the Statue of Liberty. The original island was artificially expanded to handle the vast amount of immigrants arriving there, a number which peaked at 11,747 in a single day on April 17^th, 1907, the busiest day in the island’s history. Over the course of its operation, 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island, and it is estimated that two fifths of the current population of the United States is descended from someone who entered the country at Ellis Island, including the author of this article.

However, despite its reputation as the gateway to the nation, Ellis Island was also the last part of US soil that some people would ever set foot on. Deportation is not a modern concept, but rather a historical reality for much of US history. During the height of immigration at the beginning of the 20^th century, requirements for legal immigration were different than they are now. Some immigrants arrived with no documentation at all, and were still legally admitted into the country. However, especially as the 1900s progressed, many immigration officials saw immigration regulation as a way to practice eugenics. Deportations often happened when people arrived, and potential reasons could be signs of a mental illness or a disability – which was thought at the time to equate to a propensity for crime – or a “liability to be a public charge,” a loose category that was sometimes interpreted to turn away unskilled workers. Despite immigration peaking at the turn of the century – and partly because of it – it was increasingly regulated and limited at the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s as the national mood turned more isolationist, even though most voters were descended from immigrants themselves, since Native Americans were largely restricted from voting. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 meant that most Chinese who arrived at Ellis Island were subject to immediate deportation throughout its entire period of operation. During World War I, many Italians and Germans were detained at Ellis Island, and after the war the role of the island began to shift to being purely for detention and deportation. The first Red Scare occurred in 1919-1920, and many suspected Communists or others convicted of “Un-American Activity” – which often just consisted of being of Eastern European or Jewish decent – were subject to mass arrests in publicized raids conducted without search warrants or trials and deported from Ellis Island. With the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924, a list of officially deportable individuals was established, and Ellis Island became exclusively used for detainment and deportation. The Second World war saw 7,000 German, Italian, and Japanese detainees kept on the island due to being of the same ancestry as the nations the US was at war with. When Ellis Island closed in 1954, the United States was undergoing the largest deportation effort in its history, but on a different border – the deportation of over a million Mexican immigrants that culminated in the use of military style tactics to do so under President Eisenhower.

Immigration – and deportation – is just as much a modern reality as much as a historical legacy. Many of the historical stories written across the city of New York and the nation as a whole sound very familiar to those living through similar events and political climates today. The topic of immigration is everywhere, from the media to the streets. Even in our entertainment, such as the enduringly popular show Hamilton on Broadway, audiences cheer for scrappy immigrants standing up to make a difference (though historians may note that it was Aaron Burr who stood up for immigration while Alexander Hamilton’s political party supported limiting it). Journalists must contend with how to report on changing immigration regulations and deportation actions, and organizations such as the Student Press Freedom Initiative held talks such as Immigration Law 101 at the National College Media Conference held in New York City, which was attended by journalism students from Peninsula College, including the author of this article.

In light of the current volatile political climate on the topic, it is important to look back at our past to make informed decisions on how we want to shape our future, whether through journalism, voting, activism, or simple conversation. We live in a nation of immigrants, founded by immigrants, driven by immigrants. It is essential that we remember the values, hopes, and dreams that drove often people to brave dangers and hardship in search of a new life in this nation, and continue to do so today: the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The same values this nation was founded on.