Immigration 1800
IMMIGRATION IN UNITED STATES 1800s
Thousands of immigrants were forced to leave their countries of origin in the mid-1800s for different reasons: political, war, religious persecution, unemployment, and food shortages. When they learn that in America exists the hope of a new beginning they did not hesitate to take this opportunity. In an unprecedented wave, immigrants left their countries and embarked with a suitcase full of dreams without having the slightest suspicion of the battles that were to bear them because of discrimination. Moreover, the journey to America was very risky in which many of them died during the trip (North Site, 2015). During this big massive wave of immigrants from Europe the establishment of a port of arrival on the East Coast of the United States became necessary, Ellis Island which was also known as the Golden Gate, was selected for that particular task (Kerr, 2015). A similar situation occurred in California with the arrival of Asian immigrants who had a welcome less than friendly and discriminatory (Allerfeldt, 2003). We must recognize that the impact of migration has played an important role in the development of America during the nineteenth century from industrialization to agriculture and transportation. Of course, these was not all entirely positive for immigrants, bringing unprecedented levels of anti-immigration feelings, feared of loss of job position, territory, and possible loss of national identity. However, despite all these obstacles the immigrants continued to struggle to improve their situation at time of adversity (Hirschman, 2006).
2 According to Berg, the nineteenth century exploded an immigration movement when approximately 20 million people from all over the world flooded the major cities around the United States in search of freedom and prosperity. Ellis Island in New York was the major hub located in the East Coast, assigned with the task to process immigrants from Russia, Italy and
Thousands of immigrants were forced to leave their countries of origin in the mid-1800s for different reasons: political, war, religious persecution, unemployment, and food shortages. When they learn that in America exists the hope of a new beginning they did not hesitate to take this opportunity. In an unprecedented wave, immigrants left their countries and embarked with a suitcase full of dreams without having the slightest suspicion of the battles that were to bear them because of discrimination. Moreover, the journey to America was very risky in which many of them died during the trip (North Site, 2015). During this big massive wave of immigrants from Europe the establishment of a port of arrival on the East Coast of the United States became necessary, Ellis Island which was also known as the Golden Gate, was selected for that particular task (Kerr, 2015). A similar situation occurred in California with the arrival of Asian immigrants who had a welcome less than friendly and discriminatory (Allerfeldt, 2003). We must recognize that the impact of migration has played an important role in the development of America during the nineteenth century from industrialization to agriculture and transportation. Of course, these was not all entirely positive for immigrants, bringing unprecedented levels of anti-immigration feelings, feared of loss of job position, territory, and possible loss of national identity. However, despite all these obstacles the immigrants continued to struggle to improve their situation at time of adversity (Hirschman, 2006).
2 According to Berg, the nineteenth century exploded an immigration movement when approximately 20 million people from all over the world flooded the major cities around the United States in search of freedom and prosperity. Ellis Island in New York was the major hub located in the East Coast, assigned with the task to process immigrants from Russia, Italy and
References: Allerfeldt, k. (2003). Race and Restriction:Anti-Asian Immigration Pressures in the Pacific North-West During the Progressive Era 1825-1924. History 88 (289), 53. Berg, R. L. (2005). Ellis Island and American Immigration. Book Links 15 (1), 57-62. Chin, P. (2013). The Chinese Exclusion Act 1882. CHinese American Forum 28 (3), 8-13. Hirschman, C. (2006, July 28). Border Battles. The Impact of Immigration on American Society: Looking Backward to the Future. Access January 22, 2015. http://borderbattles.ssrc.org/Hirschman/index.html Kerr, S. (2015). The Classroom. Programs to Help Immigrants in the 1800s. Access January 22, 2015. http://classroom.synonym.com/programs-immigrants-1800s-21245.html North Site. (2015). Early Immigration in the U.S. Access January 22, 2015. https://sites.google.com/site/thenorthsite/early-immigration-in-the-u-s-1 Wandrei, K. (2015). The Classroom. Difficulties Chinese Immigrants Had in the Late 1800s. Access January 22, 2015. http://classroom.synonym.com/difficulties-chinese-immigrants-late-1800s-21290.html