Ellis Island | The Human Tide
American History Tellers

Ellis Island | The Human Tide

B2Upper-intermediateOctober 7, 202636 min
  • Documentary
  • History

In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt vowed to crack down on the corruption and mistreatment that plagued Ellis Island. He appointed William Williams as the new Commissioner of Immigration and tasked him with cleaning up the Immigration Service. But Williams’ strict interpretations of federal immigration law drew criticism from German American and Jewish community leaders. As immigration to the United States reached an all-time peak, Ellis Island became the primary battleground in a fierce national debate over what it meant to become American. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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You're the Commissioner of Immigration, and you're chairing a board of special inquiry hearing

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The conference room is unusually crowded because President Theodore Roosevelt is visiting today

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0:00

Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American history tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. Imagine it's September 1903 on Ellis Island. You're the Commissioner of Immigration, and you're chairing a board of special inquiry hearing

0:25

where immigrants denied entry to America are given further review. The conference room is unusually crowded because President Theodore Roosevelt is visiting today with an entourage of friends and officials. After a sidelong glance at the president who sits beside you, you peer down at your files and then prepare to introduce the first case up for review.

0:45

All right, gentlemen. First we have a Hungarian man who intends to travel to Shemokin, Pennsylvania to meet his son-in-law. He has a railroad ticket but only $12 in his possession. I think we can all agree that his deportation must stand. Now wait just a minute.

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