The Diversity of the American Society on the Eve of the Boom

The Diversity of the American Society on the Eve of the Boom

40 million people immigrated to the states between 1850 and 1914. In

1020, The United States was as mixed a multitude as it had ever been

before, composing of more colours; religions and speaking more

languages than had ever been the case before. Hence the term 'melting

pot' was ascribed to explain the mixed society. In order to examine

the diversity of America on the eve of the boom wealth and generation

are examples of factors that will be considered.

The Old immigrants were the first European settlers, descending from

Britain, Germany and Scandinavia. Nicknamed the White Anglo Saxon

Protestants or WASPS, they tended to hold the best jobs and grasp of

political power. Their beliefs tended to be rigid and old fashioned.

To them the new industrial cities swarming with immigrants was viewed

as sordid and ungodly. It would appear that the notion of the

immigrations losing their identity and becoming 'Americans' would

almost be deemed as laughable.

From Eastern Europe, particularly Russia, Poland and Italy came

immigrants in the late 19th century, several being Jews and Catholics.

These were mainly the people who challenged the Protestants. They may

have been pushed to immigrate to America but their reasons varied.

People from Poland and Russia face persecution particularly the Jews

at the end of the 19th century. In addition of that there was only an

increasing intolerance towards Socialists and Anarchists and many

chose to leave under the political nightmares. Italians chose to leave

their homeland when the wine market collapsed and outbreak of cholera

lead to huge numbers of Italians in the states.

Native American Indians lived across the whole of the continent; many

of them were farmers. Between 1850 and 1890 most of them were forced

off their lands and lived on reservations, leaving them in a dangerous

state. The land they lived on was so poor that even with government

assistance, they would not have been able to make a decent living on

it.