Becoming American Immigrants

Between 1870 and 1900, an estimated 25 million immigrants had made their way to the United States. This era, titled the Gilded Age, played an extremely important role in the shaping of American society. The United States saw great economic growth and social changes; however, as the name suggested, the Gilded Ages hid a profound number of problems. During this period of urbanization, the publicizing of wealth and prosperity hid the high rates of poverty, crime, and corruption. European immigrants who had come to the United States in search of jobs and new opportunities had fallen into poverty as well as poor working and living conditions. Not only had immigrants been cheated of a promised "comfortable" lifestyle, but the U.S. had also negatively

The Chinese Exclusion Act. A document that was first signed in 1882 by President Chester A. Arthur. This was and still is important because it was the first law that restricted immigration into the United States. This document was signed because Congress was concerned about keeping white “racial purity,” even though the Chinese population consisted of only 0.002 (two thousandths) percent of the whole population. The Act was first signed in 1882, and carried on for ten more years. These ten years was followed by the Geary Act, which extended the act for another ten years. That means this event ended around the 1920’s. The conflict for Congress, in 1882, was that too many Chinese people were immigrating to America, and this was ruining

From 1880 to 1925, an era deemed New immigration, vast numbers of foreigners sought better lives as Americans. However, rather than a welcoming embrace, the expanding populations of immigrants were confronted with growing disdain of immigration. Many Americans assumed immigrants came to America as the poorest and most vagrant people of their country. Thus, many worried that immigrants would pollute America’s genetic stock and become financial burdens to the country. In response to growing anti-immigrant sentiment, Nativists demanded that America belong to “natives” and advocated restrictions on immigration to keep jobs for real Americans. And rather than protect immigrants from heavy discrimination, the American government responded by limiting

In her essay, “More than Just a Shrine: Paying Homage to the Ghosts of Ellis Island,” author Mary Gordon argues that a separation exists between the descendents of early American settlers and the descendents of later immigrants. Through reflecting on her experience at Ellis Island, Gordon demonstrates her connection to the Americans who passed through as opposed to those who influenced immigration policies.

In chapter one of Angel Island: Immigration Gateway to America, the authors describes to the reader how the immigration process was much more difficult for the non-whites than it was for the whites. When first getting to the immigration station on Angel Island the men and women were separated including couples, this was the standard policy. It was much easier for a first-class passenger to enter the land, all they needed was a cursory medical exam while the second-class passengers had to be loaded onto a ferry and taken to Angel Island for inspection. Simple questions were asked to immigrants arriving to help identify who they were. “But nationality, race, and immigrant and economic status all played a part in determining whether further medical

Disappointment. Betrayal. Deceived. All these terms are common themes in the writing of several immigrants during their journey to America. After reading many personal accounts of immigrants and learning about their expeditions to America, it became evident it is not as joyous a ride as many make it seem. Numerous stories are heart retching and devastating. Trying to imagine being in the shoes of those immigrants is almost impossible, as I have been blessed with a wonderful problem-free life. Unfortunately, I am unable to even relate to any of the several issues immigrants encountered daily, as I have never experienced anything they have suffered through. Although, I personally cannot attest to such horrible experiences, I can promote acceptance and equality among immigrants in America. Similarly, a quote by Carlos Ramirez suggests the same. Originally stated in Spanish, Ramirez translates to, “What a world this would be if we just build bridges instead of walls!”

The US experienced massive immigration from Europe in the 1800s, which saw millions of people across the Atlantic to the New World. These people came from all corners of Europe including Ireland, Germany, Italy, Norway, and other scores of other nations and provinces. The people came as young men and women in search of jobs, others as families fleeing religious persecution and others as political radicals who were fleeing from the police. In addition, others came as farmers in search of land and a new start for that matter, and as paupers hardly capable of affording the rites of passage. This was the first wave of immigrants that shaped the US in considerable ways.

Immigration to America had its benefits and downside. America was the place to go in the 19th century people all around the world immigrated to the US. The US needed rules and regulations on entering the country due to types of things that were happening in Document 2.

The period of time after the Civil War and before World War I was a period of tremendous change in America. Although immigration is a major tenet of the United States, due to the changing economy, improvements in transportation, a shifting of the American people to the city, and deepening class divisions, industrialization was the most powerful force shaping the country between 1865 and 1914, followed by urbanization, and finally immigration.

The mid-19th century saw an unprecedented wave of immigrants coming into the country. At its peak, Ellis Island, the main processing station for immigrants, handled an astounding 5,000 people every day. Because of the language and culture barriers faced by each group of people, they often settled amongst themselves. Very quickly, country-specific neighborhoods began popping up throughout New York and the surrounding area. This helped to alleviate the stresses with moving to a new country; however, most immigrants came to the United States penniless and lived in low-income housing as their jobs rarely supported themselves let alone their families. Most of these jobs were labor-intensive, and oftentimes, very dangerous. “These urban immigrants

Both during and after moving to a new country, immigrants face many hardships. The process of obtaining citizenships is difficult in itself, but even when citizenship is earned there are still challenges. One major difficulty some immigrants may face is dealing with xenophobia. Immigrants who experience xenophobic prejudice can find adjustment to a new life very difficult. In contrast, those who are treated with kindness and as equal citizens find assimilating to a new culture easier. The way immigrants are treated in America impacts their success as citizen. In addition, one of the ways a former immigrant might feel like they have become a “fully-fledged citizen” is when they feel as though they belong and are integrated into the country they’ve come to.

“The study of past events,” as stated by Merriam-Webster is the definition of History. [2] Now, let us ask ourselves: What is the history of New York City? This answer can go back to several different decades and towards even centuries, and therefore we should thus specify our time and landmark of New York City. For this purpose, let us zoom in on a specific place that holds memories of many Americans from past to present. Let us look at Ellis Island, and its historical context in relevance to New York City. Let us examine its evolution and its impact to not only New York, but towards the entire country of USA.

In the novel My Antonia, Jim states that happiness is “to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep.” Antonia, his dear childhood friend in the novel, would most likely not agree with this definition of happiness. Antonia is a hardworking, independent girl who is not one to wait around for happiness; she is more likely to go looking for it herself if she truly wishes to be happy. For example, Antonia loves going to the dances in town. She is thought of as the finest dancer around, but the crowd she hangs around with during these dances have “a reputation of being free and easy, and now [she’s] got the same reputation.” Since the boys she brings about give the Harlings trouble,

As immigrants want to assimilate to the American society, obstacles emerge that hinder this process. These obstacles stemming from immigration has an effect on the attitudes of Americans. Immigrants coming to the U.S. face a potential language barrier, which may cause problems when acquiring healthcare. Immigrants, such as those from Asia, also come from different backgrounds with different cultural values. As a result of these obstacles, tension can rise between both Americans and immigrants themselves.

Opening in 1892, Ellis Island quickly became the most active immigration station (and largest in America) for Immigrants entering the U.S.; mainly from Europe. For these Immigrants, Ellis Island was the entrance point to "the land of opportunity" and they had worked hard and spent a lot of hard earned money to get there. The immigrants that came to the America were coming partially because of the prospect and promises of prosperity and happiness and that America was “the land of opportunity”, but mainly because of drought, famine, war, and religious persecution in their home countries.