In the early 1980s the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, a public-private partnership, raised almost $300 million to restore these two monuments. Lee Iacocca, the son of Italian immigrants headed both the public and the private efforts. His efforts relied heavily on attracting corporate sponsorships, which brought complaints that he was selling national shrines to corporations. (page 393)
The restored Statue of Liberty was unveiled July 3, 1986 in a ceremony characterized by a journalist as “a revolting display of patriotic glitz and tacky pageantry.” (page 394)
Although he was fired from the public commission, Iacocca continued his efforts on behalf of the privately-funded Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. He was committed to the restoration of Ellis Island because, for Iacocca, Ellis Island was “ a symbol of immigrant success and American greatness” (page 394)
Some historians warned that if the restoration were left completely in the hands of private organizations, the lack of public accountability threatened to turn the project into “a Disney-like ‘Immigrant Land’.” (page 395)
The Meaning of Ellis Island
To some immigrants and their descendants, the island was a place of fear and desperation, and best forgotten. To others it commemorated “the struggle and eventual triumph” of immigrants. (page 396)
Cannato dates the identification of Ellis Island as a national icon back to Jacob Riis in 1903, and the symbolism of the immigrant station as a “new Plymouth Rock” to Mary Antin, who wrote that “Ellis Island is another name for Plymouth Rock.” (page 396) Others, such as Louis Adamic, a Slovenian immigrant, spoke of recognizing the significance of the people who came over in “unglorified immigrant steerage” and exhorted his listeners: “Let’s make America safe for diffierences. Let us work for unity within diversity.” (page 397)
After its days as a prison during WWII, Ellis Island was neglected, until the 1960s and 1970s brought attention once again to its history. Senator Ted Kennedy wrote a moving article in Esquire magazine reminding readers to remember America’s “humble origins” and the symbolism of Ellis Island.
Nostalgia and Ethnic Pride
The Restore Ellis Island Commission, headed by Peter Sammartino, convinced Congress to appropriate $1 million toward the island’s restoration and another $7 million to restore the seawall, and it was opened on a limited basis in 1976. Still in need of many repairs, the island closed again in 1984.
Mario Cuomo, Geraldine Ferraro and Michael Dukakis, all descendants of immigrants rose to political prominence.
Following addition restoration work, Ellis Island reopened in 1990. The main building was now an immigration museum. “Visitors disembarking from the ferry would stroll up the path toward the building just as many of their ancestors had.” (page 399)
Lee Iacocca came up with the idea of an American Immigrant Wall of Honor, which confused many people, who view it thinking that the names of everyone who came through Ellis Island are inscribed on it. The reality is that anyone donating $100 or more can have a name added to the wall. Many of those represented were not Ellis Island immigrants.
Sam Ting and Sean Ferguson
Cannato dispels the myth that immigrants’ names were changed at Ellis Island by insensitive officials who could not spell Polish and Italian surnames. In fact, he says, the officials never wrote down the immigrants’ names, but took them from the ships’ manifests. He says that some immigrants may have made up the stories to cover up their self-consciousness at having changed their own names to make them seem more “American.”
Read this New York Times article about the reasons fewer immigrants change their names today compared to a century ago. "New Life in U.S. No Longer Means New Name"
A National Icon
The iconic status Ellis Island as a national icon has troubled some historians and scholars. Their misgivings stem from three concerns
First, the memorializing of Elis Island should not be used to make negative comparisons with newer immigrant groups. Second, the refurbished Ellis Island should not lead to ideological celebrations of the free-market of “up-by-the bootstraps” homilies. Last, critics contend that the “nation of immigrants” saga embodied in the Ellis Island story leaves out groups that did not voluntarily emigrate to the United State, namely American Indians and the descendants of African slaves. (page 403)
The National Park Service has made an effort include all Americans in the national story, including Native Americans and forced immigrants.
Further Development of the Island
The National Park Service and the nonprofit organization Save Ellis Island have been raising funds to restore the buildings on the south side of the island that housed the medical facilities.
Read about the efforts of Save Ellis Island. "Funds Sought to Continue Restoration at Ellis Island," New York Times.
Historical Memory
Cannato poses the question of whether we should regard Ellis Island as a “sacred place, and . . . hallowed ground in American history,” as former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani claimed. (page 408)
He concludes that “the historical memory of Ellis Island, like all memory, has been created over time, and that memory will continue to evolve in the future. What exactly this historic site symbolizes can be a matter of debate even with the same family.” (page 409)
1 comments:
For me Ellis Island is important becasue it symolizes what our ancestors were willing to endure for the next generation. We can learn from their example. We need to ask ourselves what we can do to reduce the deficit and imporve the futre for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When they look back how will they see us? What will they think of the way people lived in 2010?
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