FREE ESSAY ON AMERICAN IMMIGRATION

AMERICAN IMMIGRATION

December 11, 2000
Immigration 
In the decades following the Civil War, the United States emerged as an industrial giant.
Old industries expanded and many new ones, including petroleum refining, steel
manufacturing, and electrical power, emerged. Railroads expanded significantly, bringing
even remote parts of the country into a national market economy. America was the ideal
place.
In the late 1800s, people in many parts of the world decided to leave their homes and
immigrate to the United States. Fleeing crop failure, a shortage in land, and employment,
rising taxes, and famine, many came to the U. S. because it was perceived as the land of
economic opportunity. Others came seeking personal freedom or relief from political and
religious persecution. With hope for a brighter future, nearly 12 million immigrants
arrived in the United States between 1870 and 1900. During the 1870s and 1880s, the vast
majority of these people were from Germany, Ireland, Russian, Italy, and England
Immigrants entered the United States through several ports. Those from Europe generally
came through East Coast facilities, while those from Asia generally entered through West
Coast centers. More than 70 percent of all immigrants, however, entered through New York
City, which came to be known as the Golden Door. Throughout the late 1800s, most
immigrants arriving in New York entered at the Castle Garden depot near the tip of
Manhattan. In 1892, the federal government opened a new immigration-processing center on
Ellis Island in New York harbor. 
Although immigrants often settled near ports of entry, a large number did find their way
inland. Many states, especially those with sparse populations, actively sought to attract
immigrants by offering jobs or land for farming. Many immigrants wanted to move to
communities established by previous settlers from their homelands. 
Once settled, immigrants looked for work. There were never enough jobs, and employers
often took advantage of the immigrants. Men were generally paid less than other workers,
and women less than men. Social tensions were also part of the immigrant experience.
Often stereotyped and discriminated against, many immigrants suffered verbal and physical
abuse because they were different. 
The Irish were called white niggers. They came to America because of An Gorta Mor.
(That's the great hunger for those who didn't know). The Britt's hated (and still hate)
the Irish, and they made them work like slaves, and paid them very little. The Irish, who
came because they thought they could get some land, and be free in America, were starving
in the streets, and dying in the factories.
When the Chinese immigrated, they did it because conditions in China were so poor, (and
they were so poor), that immigrating to the U.S. was their only solution. They got
extraordinarily wealthy when they came back from the U.S. They were extremely hard
workers despite the fact that they were called names, and were low on the ladder. They
were also despised by labor unions because they refused to join them out of principle. 
The Italians immigrated in large numbers. They came because they were dying in the
streets of Italy. They were also seeking the money that was famed in America. The
Italians were despised not only being different in religion, and skin color, but that
they also brought with them, organized crime (the mafia). They banded together, and lived
in communities in New York. They spoke Italian before English. As hard as things were,
their faith kept them together, and allowed them prosper. 
While large-scale immigration created many social tensions, it also produced a new
vitality in the cities and states in which the immigrants settled. The newcomers helped
transform American society and culture, demonstrating that diversity, as well as unity,
is a source of national strength.