How did Ellis Island differ from Angel Island?
A. Chinese and Asian immigrants often were processed at Ellis Island.
B. Immigrants left Ellis Island within hours; they often remained at Angel Island for weeks.
C. Angel Island was welcoming to some, but Ellis Island was seemingly designed to filter out Chinese immigrants.
D. Chinese travelers were never turned away at Angel Island.
Answer (3)
The answer would be letter B. We are studying Angel Island and Ellis Island ourselves at school, so I remember this about it.
Ellis Island and Angel Island served as the main entry points for immigrants coming into the United States, with each having distinctive characteristics. Ellis Island was the primary processing station for many European immigrants coming through New York, where most were processed within hours and typically only about 2% were denied entry. In contrast, Angel Island, located in San Francisco Bay, was the main entry point for Asian immigrants, particularly from China. Immigrants at Angel Island often faced long detention periods, lasting weeks or even months, and endured rigorous interrogations.
The difference between these two immigration stations can be summed up by one of the options given:
Immigrants left Ellis Island within hours; they often remained at Angel Island for weeks.
After the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Angel Island was essentially used to control and limit Chinese immigration into the United States. The immigrants there often faced harsh and detailed questioning about their villages and families in an attempt to limit their entry into the country. This contrasts with Ellis Island where the inspection process was generally less stringent, and wealthy passengers could even bypass it altogether if they had traveled first or second class.
Ellis Island and Angel Island were different immigration processing centers, with Ellis Island allowing quick processing for European immigrants while Angel Island often detained Asian immigrants for much longer. Therefore, the correct answer is B: 'Immigrants left Ellis Island within hours; they often remained at Angel Island for weeks.'
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