Polish Immigration In The 19th Century

e development of a land poor, agricultural poor country led to many Polish migrating West in hope of finding a better sense of life. This was true of my stepfather's grandparents, who came to the United States from Poland around 1915. "During the late 19th and early 20th Century, social as well as economical hardships fell upon a country which saw more then three million emigrate overseas to the New Land." (American Identity). The mass movement of people was the result of the reforms of the legal systems governing land ownership in all three states occupying parts of Poland. Upon the collapse of the feudal system, many poor polish peasants inherited land that was simply unaffordable to them. The peasants had to pay the previous landowner for
Unskilled in any trade, the Poles were forced to begin their careers at the lowest level of employment. As such groups as the Germans and Irish sought advancements in their occupational opportunities, the Polish were forced to the unskilled lower paying professions. "Such professions included in stove works, in cigar and tobacco factories, in foundries, in machine shops, in construction work, and in packing houses. Women, at first found mainly in the domestic service, in the bean factories, and in farm work, soon drifted to the cigar factories, the match factories, to hotels and restaurants, and to tailoring establishments. (Dziennik Polski, 4 (Fri. Dec. 20, 1907). 1-4, Col. 7; Personal interviews.) Polish immigrants tried to fit into American culture. With the key to success for Polish to be like the many, English was mandatory as well as American customs. On the contrary, Chinese immigrants who mostly settled in California, mainly the San Francisco area developed a self-sufficient community, which was properly labeled Chinatown. Unlike the Polish, Chinese immigrants consisted of 90% males that worked to support not only themselves but also family back home. "Chinese workers played a key role in the Californian agricultural development." (American Identity – Chinese agricultural workers). Working conditions, much like that of the Polish was very unsanitary. Bottom of the barrel jobs where cheap labor was needed, laid the commonality between Chinese and Polish job-hunts. Another group, which likewise was shown discrimination against, was the Italians. They unlike the Polish didn't migrate entirely to the industrial boom. Many went to California to do what they knew best, fishing. However, many Italians like the Polish "took seasonal work as well as working for the railroads" (American Identity – Italian Occupations). In contrast, all of these groups had a common