Ellis Island

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“America means opportunity, freedom, power.” These powerfully true words, spoken by philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, illustrate the symbolic meaning America had come to inhabit in the eyes of desperate immigrants. During the Industrial Revolution, a booming American economy as well as external foreign events helped direct immigrants to America, a fabled land of liberty and power. This large influx of immigrants was instrumental in shaping the very country we know today. A large part of immigration was directed through the famous Ellis Island, known as the Gate to America, or the Golden Door. The co-dependency of the Industrial Revolution and immigration through Ellis Island can be illustrated in a number of examples.

The industrialization of North America paved the way for a legion of immigrants, even though work was difficult to obtain at times. Naturally, during the Industrial Revolution the main field of work would be some form of industry, such as factory working or mining. Due to the unwelcome attitude given to many nationalities, work was rarely steady for them, and may have involved demeaning hard labor (Jango-Cohen 35). In many job positions conditions were bad at best and low wages were paid. In order to sustain this type of economy, a large, not necessarily skilled workforce was required. As the immigrants began flooding into the country, construction agencies in New York City were assigned to build more houses and workplaces to keep up with the influx of new immigrants, (“Ellis Island”). The added work capacity of new immigrants increased production, which allowed for more immigrants to arrive, forming a cycle of economic growth that exhibits virtuous circularity. The impact and effects of Norther...

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...ution, a thriving American economy as well as dreams of escaping famine and oppression led immigrants to America. To the eyes of an endangered family that waits everyday to escape the pangs of hunger, America was a better life, and an almost unreachable goal. To the families that persevered, a new life may have awaited them; but for others, America may have held only poverty and hard labor. Interestingly, this is what the industrialized dream of America granted: chance; not a guarantee, nor even an opportunity in the strictest sense; just a chance. Through the Industrial Revolutions, more jobs were created; with the addition of more jobs, hopeful foreigners could immigrate. With the presence of multiple, well-defined cultural groups America began to diversify, continuing her expansion and paving the way for more people who only held a dream for an opportunity.

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