The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Cherokee Capital Chapter, should be commended for sponsoring this essay contest to focus on America's richly diverse heritage.

I read recently that nine percent of the population of Norway relocated to the United States during the 1880's. That decade began a remarkable century of emigration to America producing growth unparalleled in human history. About 40% of all Americans alive today had at least one ancestor who passed through Ellis Island in search of a better life.

Facts found at http://quilligrapher.hubpages.com/hub/ellis_island include the unique origin of Ellis Island, once known as Kioshk (Gull) Island by the original natives. They trace a historic transformation from a tiny nondescript 3-acre tract into a sprawling 27.5-acre processing center in New York Harbor. A portal that became the "Gateway to America."