Out of many, one

A nice opinion piece about all the people who live in this country and make up America. DP

By Jodie Wankowski

shreveporttimes.com: They were waiting in the food line, people from several different nationalities and areas. With them, they brought Old World customs and ways. Many languages could be heard, and spices of different ethnic dishes hung in the air.

Next to a man with a French surname was a lovely lady with Asian features. Children played together, each hailing from a different ethnic origin. Within the large building's walls, many from all corners of the Earth waited and mixed.

None came from the same place, but all were heading in the same direction. Out of different cultures, a singularly unique one would emerge — a culture that would become the mighty cornerstone of a fantastic nation.

Ellis Island has a long history. A small island off New York, it was home to various tribes of American Indians in the 1600s, a haven for Dutch oyster harvesters in the early 1700s and was privately owned by the Ellis family in the latter part of the 18th century. The family eventually sold the land to New York State after briefly inhabiting it. In 1808, New York State sold it to the federal government for $10,000.

America was the land of opportunity, a place dreams became reality. Its governing documents promised the gift of religious rights, freedom, liberty and life without tyranny to the world's oppressed. These things were unheard of then — and even to this day — in most other parts of the world.
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