Angel Island is located in San Fransisco, California and was used as the passage way for immigrants on the west coast. It was frequently referred to as the "The Ellis Island of the West."
The immigration station passed about one million Asian immigrants from 1910 to 1940. Around 50,000 Chinese immigrants gained admission during that time. The Chinese called the United States the "Gold Mountain". The station was built in 1905 after the War Department provided space for it.Immigrants entering through Angel Island were asked difficult questions and were kept in filthy buildings while waiting to find out whether they would be accepted into the country or they would be sent back to their homeland. The immigrants had to wait a long time to see a doctor before entering the country.
dormitory in which immigrants stayedThe Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricted the Chinese from immigrating to the United States. The only Chinese people that were allowed were students, teachers, merchants, tourists, and government officials. This act slowed the amount of immigration through Angel Island. The law wasn't repealed until 1943. Immigrants had to wait on the island for as long as two years to find out if they would be able to stay in the U.S. or not.I think that Angel Island was overlooked by many people because of Ellis Island. Ellis Island obviously had many more immigrants pass through, but Angel Island also was an important immigration station for those entering through the Pacific. The island today is now a state park. Angel Island is a very important place in our history.
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