A Child’s Journey Through Ellis Island Daughters of the American Revolution: American History Essay Contest

The D.A.R.  The Daughters of the American Revolution, or D.A.R., is a women’s service organization dedicated to historical preservation, education, patriotism, and honoring the patriots of the Revolutionary War.

The Essay  This contest was established to encourage young people to think creatively about our nation’s great history and learn about history in a new light.  Each academic year, a unique essay topic is chosen and guidelines are made available.

The Contest Guidelines  The contest is open to all students in grades 5-8.  Essays are judged for  historical accuracy and adherence to topic  organization of materials  interest and originality  spelling, grammar, punctuation and neatness.  A winner will be selected from each of the four grades to advance to the state level. The state winner from each grade will advance to the divisional level. The divisional winners will advance to the national level where the winners are announced. All National winners will receive a certificate, medal and a monetary reward.

The Topic  The year 2015 marks the 125th anniversary of Ellis Island as an immigration station. On a typical day, immigrants arriving on the island could expect to spend up to seven hours in processing activities intended to determine whether or not they were legally and medically fit to enter the United States.  Imagine yourself as a child traveling through Ellis Island in How would you describe your experience to your cousin who has never heard of Ellis Island?

Your Task  What did it feel like to be one of the 12,000,000 immigrants who entered the United States through Ellis Island?  To get a feel for the times, we will do a short, week-long book study. Everyone will either read F or NF on the topic, with special attention paid to setting, historical facts and relevance, characters/historical figures.  Next, we will jigsaw Our New Life in America, a historical fiction book about the Marks family and their immigration to the U.S. from Russia through Ellis Island.  Then, you will write your original, creative essay with historical accuracy and adherence to the topic, as well as, attention to the six traits of writing.  Finally, you will edit and polish your essay and submit it by December 19.

Your Commitment The choice to participate in the contest is voluntary, but once you commit, you are obligated to complete the project. Who is ready to begin exploring?