Immigration to the United States took place near the end of the 1800’s and the beginning of 1900’s. Immigrants brought change to the United States with their diverse customs and cultures. Most people who came to the U.S., immigrated in hopes of gaining some form of freedom. Whether that freedom be literal, financial, or religious. Several also thought that they would immediately become rich which was far from being true. Immigrants had to work very hard for whatever they gained. Immigration in the United States has had mostly positive effects on immigrants and their life in the United States. This is true of the immigrants whose accounts were recounted in The Life Stories of Undistinguished Americans. It is seen in The Lithuanian, The Polish
As the Lithuanian’s story begins he is back in his old country listening to stories about America. America was seen as the land of opportunity and freedom where one could pursue happiness. For that reason alone the idea of going to America appealed to the Lithuanian. The main goal for him was his freedom. He was rapidly the approaching an age that required him to the join the military. Joining the military was not a decision it was a no choice in the matter whatsoever. Coming to America was the solution to their prayers. America was the fresh start he needed after the death of his mother. It also kept him alive because the chances of dying or falling ill in the Russian Army was very high. Prior to immigrating to the United States the Lithuanian boy and his family were farmers. He went to the United States thinking that there were opportunities just waiting. Unfortunately other immigrants came with the same mentality so finding a job was hard. It was a hard adjustment because in the U.S. a job was a necessity because, “here money was everything and a man without money must die,” (24). Everything ran on currency so if you were poor you couldn’t eat or afford a place to live. Another culture shock for the young Lithuanian was contracts. In his home country no one used paper contracts they simply went off of their word and trusted that the person would keep it. Although he had a hard time assimilating at first, the Lithuanian man quickly learned and was able to thrive in
The United States of America is known as the land of opportunity and dreams. People dream of migrating to this nation for a chance of a better a life. This belief has been around for many years, ever since the birth of the United States; therefore it’s a factor in which motivate many people migrate to the United States. Upton Sinclair, author of the Jungle, narrates the life of a Lithuanian family and there struggles with work, crime, family loss, and survival in the city of Packingtown. Sinclair expresses her disgust as well as the unbelievable truth of life in the United States involving politics, corruption, and daily struggle that many suffered through in the 19th and 20th century.
In the years from 1860 through 1890, the prospect of a better life attracted nearly ten million immigrants who settled in cities around the United States. The growing number of industries produced demands for thousands of new workers and immigrants were seeking more economic opportunities. Most immigrants settled near each other’s own nationality and/or original village when in America.
Moving from the unpleasant life in the old country to America is a glorious moment for an immigrant family that is highlighted and told by many personal accounts over the course of history. Many people write about the long boat ride, seeing The Statue of Liberty and the “golden” lined streets of New York City and how it brought them hope and comfort that they too could be successful in American and make it their home. Few authors tend to highlight the social and political developments that they encountered in the new world and how it affected people’s identity and the community that they lived in. Authors from the literature that we read in class highlight these developments in the world around them, more particularly the struggles of assimilating
A well-discussed debate among today’s economy is the issues concerning immigrants and their yearning desire to become American citizens. As displayed in The Jungle, a rather perturbing novel about the trials and ruthless temptations early America presents to a Lithuanian family, adjusting to new surrounding and a new way of life is quite difficult. To make matters worse, language barriers and lack of domestic knowledge only seems to entice starvation and poverty among newly acquired citizens, who simply wish to change their social and economic lives to better themselves and their families.
In the eyes of the early American colonists and the founders of the Constitution, the United States was to represent the ideals of acceptance and tolerance to those of all walks of life. When the immigration rush began in the mid-1800's, America proved to be everything but that. The millions of immigrants would soon realize the meaning of hardship and rejection as newcomers, as they attempted to assimilate into American culture. For countless immigrants, the struggle to arrive in America was rivaled only by the struggle to gain acceptance among the existing American population.
Immigration to a developed country has a lot of problem associated with it. In particular, United States has not been spared of these problems according to many experts (Massey et al. 53). On my view, though there is a positive inclination towards immigration that people tend to overlook. Firstly, there are the cultural differences; many people migrating to this country are from different localities. The ethnical perspective of these people is nearly incompatible. This incompatibility leads to exchange of the aspects of the two cultures hence enrichment of the untied states culture. This is a positive impact to of immigration. If the new people were just visiting and going back to where they came from, then such exchange could not have happened, therefore, after all immigration is not only a negative aspect in ...
America’s first wave of immigration began in 1840 through 1860 and lead to many demographic changes. Population increased due to natural reproduction and immigration. Many immigrants relocated to America seeking economic growth and opportunity or to escape religious persecution and political tensions. The Irish and the Germans were the first immigrants to migrate to America during the first wave of immigration. Each group had different reasons for settlement, but both faced discrimination from the Nativists.
Immigration, having a great influence in America, has torn through the country and has sparked heated debates and turning one against another in the battle of how to tackle the United States’ policy. The United States and Mexico border battle has been going on for decades, illegal immigration being the main issue. Having people flee from their homes in Mexico because of violence and drug cartel influence. With the drug cartels putting racial stereotypes, there is immigrant discrimination. Immigrant discrimination of Mexicans is reminiscent of discrimination against blacks in the sixties. The government seems to use Immigration laws and operations to steer away from the fact they are doing something unconstitutional. These factors of immigration
The tone of the short story “America and I” changed dramatically over the course of the narrative. The author, Anzia Yezierska, started the story with a hopeful and anxious tone. She was so enthusiastic about arriving in America and finding her dream. Yezierska felt her “heart and soul pregnant with the unlived lives of generations clamouring for expression.” Her dream was to be free from the monotonous work for living that she experienced back in her homeland. As a first step, she started to work for an “Americanized” family. She was well welcomed by the family she was working for. They provided the shelter Yezierska need. She has her own bed and provided her with three meals a day, but after a month of working, she didn’t receive the wage she was so
Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration became so prominent in America between 1870 and 1900 that the foreign-born population of the United States had almost doubled. A lot of German and Irish Catholics had immigrated in the 1840’s and 1850’s, and more decided to immigrate after the Civil War. A portion of Americans were biased against Catholics. Thankfully, the Irish spoke English and the German Catholics reputation was improved because of their Protestant countrymen’s good reputation. However, their children often lacked any skill or education, but they were able to blend in quite well with the American society. More and more immigrants would migrate to the United States without any skill or education and on top of that they were usually poor. These immigrants were called “new” immigrants and they came from all over the world including Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. However, you cannot blame immigrants for migrating to America. Many immigrants faced religious persecution in their home countries which pushed them away, otherwi...
Immigration has been a key factor of the success of the United States from the start. More specifically, without the influence of immigrants our country would not be the place that it is today. There is, however, great controversy surrounding the idea that immigration, whether legal or illegal, should be accepted or denied. Since the beginning of time, immigration has played a large role in the history of the United States. Immigration to the U.S. has been a popular desire since before the world wars (Archiv 141). The desire continues even today. One of America's most influencial leaders, George Washington, said:
America is known famously throughout the world with the nickname 'The melting pot.' The reason behind this is that America is extremely diverse and has many different people. Immigrants give America the chance to know the culture of many countries. They bring in their culture, religion, economic benefits, and ideology to America. I believe that the United States should allow legal immigrants from all over the world because they bring many benefits to it. Immigrants are a positive influence on United States of America.
The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century and from the 1880s to 1920. Many people immigrated to America for
In my younger and more vulnerable years, my parents and I immigrated from the Philippines to America in search of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It wasn't until I started maturing did I notice the obstacles I overcame, the accomplishments I achieved, and the objectives I set for myself that significantly contributed towards the achievement of my dream.
Immigration to America began when Christopher Columbus discovered the new land now called the American continent. Immigration increased in the 17th century when people came from Europe, Africa, and Asia to the new land. There were many colonies, such as the British and Dutch. When people came they go to their people and find jobs as farmers. The first immigrants were in the east coast around 1607 to 1775 after the number of immigrants increased. In 1790 - 1850 there were few immigrants who came to America, but in 1850 to 1930 the number of immigrations increased (Dolan 4).