Experiencing Immigration

The United States has been notorious for welcoming peoples from all over the world onto its lands in order to facilitate the growth of a diverse nation and generations of families have traveled to America in search of creating lives more fulfilling than those they had escaped. During the years of the late 1800s and early 1900s, the United States allowed the highest rates of immigration in it’s history with groups from a number of different countries sought an escape from the economical, political, and religious hardships their own nations bequeathed. This massive influx of such a myriad of ethnicities irreversibly changed the evolution of the newly formed United States and challenged existing ideas and attitudes of what constituted an American citizen. In addition, immigrants were faced with the difficult task of finding equilibrium in what seemed, and often was, a world full of chaos.

Although those traveling to America came from contrasting origins, the trials and tribulations they endured were much the same. Reasons for immigration, arrival, living and working conditions, socialization, and increasing assimilation into the American culture were experiences common to all immigrating groups. These areas of adjustment and the ways in which they evolved illustrates typical “immigrant experiences” and proves that this was an era that truly shaped the evolution of the world.

In general, factors pushing immigrants to emigrate from their own countries take on similar themes across groups. Fleeing religious persecution, seeking political asylum, and escaping economic hardships were just a few of the common situations that influenced the search for improvement in America. Some immigrants began their journeys with plans of obtaining seasonal work to augment their meager incomes and most intended on returning to their native lands thereafter. As time went on and relatives already in the United States enticed families to join them, those immigrating commenced with no future plans of returning to their homes. The rapid increase of immigrants entering under these circumstances led Americans to question the lenient policies of immigration that were implemented by the United States government and created controversial issues encompassing all involved.

In addition to reasons for leaving their native countries, immigrants also shared the experience of the long and exhausting trek to America. Although some arrived via railway or, in few cases, airway, most were tightly packed onto steamships, enduring extremely unsanitary conditions. Passengers funded the trip with money they had saved or had boarding passes sent by friends or relatives already in America, as was generally the case. Despite the surge of excitement in arriving to their destination, immigrants were exhausted, hungry, and scared when they first encounter with their new home.

Ellis Island, located in New York’s harbor, was the arrival point for the majority of immigrants coming during the early 1900s. This building was designed in order to organize the process through which immigrants were granted entry. The officials working in this building enforced “laws and orders passed from 1885-1907 which barred people with contagious diseased, paupers and persons likely to become public charges, and also antichrists, prostitutes, the mentally deficient, and the disabled.” (American Identity Explorer CD-ROM) The tests that measured these ailments included medical, eye, and physical exams as well as two-minute interviews in which the immigrant had to prove that he or she had money, a place to live, and if not employment, then the means to obtain it. It was a long and grueling process to endure for the immigrant that had just arrived from a several day steamship cruise. Ridden by exhaustion, hunger, confusion, and anticipation, the immigrant was faced with hours of interrogations and examinations. It is amazing that 80% of immigrants were allowed passage and despite the number withheld pending further exam, only 8% of those wishing to enter were prohibited and deported to their native lands. (Lecture: 07 Feb 00)
Fortunately for the immigrants, most had been prepared for the notorious experience of Ellis Island from family already in the United States. They were generally instructed on what questions would be asked and what the proper responses were so that despite the intimidation of Ellis Island’s grandeur impression, the new arrivals had some a small amount of comfort in it’s predictability. Once the hours of examinations were completed and passage was granted, immigrants generally had friends or relatives to meet their arrival. Many times, those immigrating were the wives and children of a husband that had previously immigrated and had already established residency. For a lot of immigrant groups, the husband emigrated first in order to create a secure environment for which the rest of the family can adjust to. In other cases, friends and family welcomed the immigrants and immediately took them under their wings. These networks of close- knit ties provided the arrivals with a secure feeling and aided in their adjustment to the new world. Often times, these networks consisted of groups and relationships that existed in old world neighborhoods and so the development of concentrated areas of groups formed in large cities in America. These areas provided the familiarity of the old world in a place so completely strange to the immigrants.

Most immigrants found homes in large apartment buildings that lined the inner streets of numerous large cities. New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Los Angeles were just a few of the major cities that immigrants inhabited. The large tenements, as the apartment buildings were called, were packed compactly in urban ghettos and housed hundreds of families in small living spaces. It was not uncommon for a family of seven to live in a one-bedroom apartment with little means of proper ventilation. Because most immigrant groups moved to places inhabited by acquaintances, the neighborhood ghettos comprised families of the same backgrounds and facilitated the development of such areas labeled “little Italy” or “Hebrew town” in which “people continued to speak their own language, establish their own newspapers, and created atmospheres that eased the transitions.” (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM)
Employment took on similar themes across all groups of immigrants with most taking jobs in textile factories. Here, employers took advantage of immigrants’ precarious positions and created appalling work conditions. A typical workday lasted ten to twelve hours and was performed in hazardous and unsanitary environments. In addition, the pay was meager at best, which required many women and children to contribute to the family’s income. Outside from textile jobs, men worked construction jobs, pushed peddler carts, or found employment in bakeries or retail. Women also took jobs in textile factories or worked in laundries and tailoring shops, often working under the same conditions as their husbands. It was also common for women to take on “home work” in order so that they could work extra hours. Many children were required to contribute and helping their mother’s with this work was one way in which they could do this. Common to all immigrants, regardless of type of employment, were low wages, hazardous conditions, and extreme demands in order to economically survive.

The one experience shared by absolutely all arriving groups was the transition into American life and all the dynamics that it entailed. Suddenly, immigrants were faced with the pressures to “Americanize” while still struggling to preserve their native cultures. Compounding this aspect was the way in which Americans reacted to the growing number of foreigners inhabiting American cities. Every immigrant group endured the barriers of stereotypes, discrimination, and intolerance in their assimilation and enculturation into American way of life.

Examining the experiences of two specific immigrant groups provides a clear illustration of the experience of immigration. Two of the largest groups to immigrate to the United States include the Italians and the East European Jews who mostly moved to the streets of New York with families that had already established a permanent place to live. Both these groups shared similar encounters in their struggles to adjust to their new surroundings and in their attempts to form new identities. Creating close-knit neighborhoods, educating their children, preserving their ethnic cultures, and striving to create an equilibrium between past and present worlds were just a few of the ways in which these groups faced their transitions.

Family and friends awaiting the arrival of East European Jewish immigrants generally met them at Ellis Island. From there, the families welcomed the new comers into neighborhoods that resembled much of what they left behind. Road signs were written in Hebrew, congregations of people spoke Yiddish, and generally, an ambiance of security surrounded them. During this time, landsmanshaftn societies formed to ease the immigrant’s transition. These societies “assisted the new arrivals, loaned money for the passage of relatives to the U.S., offered insurance against sickness, and provided opportunities for Old World sociability.” (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM)
In addition to the landsmanshaftn societies, many other facilities developed to aide immigrants in the transition to America and to create a Jewish community offering support and assistance that was comparable to old world ties. Since the majority of Jews coming to America continued to practice Jewish religion, many cities erected synagogues and other houses of worship. On New York’s East Side alone, 500 Jewish houses of worship were built between 1880 and 1915. (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM) The Educational Alliance was formed to aid in the transition by offering citizenship classes to adults, cooking and sewing classes, and facilities for young Jewish children. Its aim was to “Americanize and modernize the newcomers and aid in their adjustment. (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM) Other groups similar to the Alliance included the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (H.I.A.S), The Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society, and the Hebrew Free Loan Society. (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM)
One of the most helpful factors in adjusting to American way of life was the development of the Jewish Daily Forward. This newspaper began publication in 1897 and quickly became the largest Yiddish newspaper in New York and offered “Yiddish culture and also educated immigrants about American culture and practices.” (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM) Together with the above-mentioned groups, East European Jews were provided with a little bit of comfort and security in arriving to the United States.

Many Jewish immigrants chose to continue living according to Jewish doctrine, with women wearing traditional wigs and staying in the home, as opposed to joining the workforce. However, for a number of different reasons, many Jewish families discovered that the traditional ways of living were difficult to execute in America. Often times in order to economically survive, women were forced to work so that they could supplement the household’s income. Although the concept of a working Jewish woman was frowned upon by more traditional Jews, women joining the work force became commonplace among Jewish immigrants. Children, on the other hand, were not expected to contribute economically; rather, they were strongly encouraged to excel in education and assimilation into American culture. It was the prime objective of Jewish parents to provide ways for the betterment of their children’s lives and education was seen as the key to success.

Despite the small numbers of strict Jewish practices, most Jewish immigrants sought to shed their cultures and quickly become adapted to American way of life. “Greenhorns”, as new Jewish immigrants were referred to, struggled to break down the barriers between themselves and “native” Americans so that soon, the Jewish immigrant and “native” American would become difficult to separate. “Oisgrinen zikh- to cease being greenhorns-was a common motivation” of the arriving immigrant. (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM) In his article “The Russian and Polish Jew in New York”, Edward Steiner made the following statement in regard to Jewish immigrants: “The more English they can display the smarter they are, and usually in two years the “greener” has mastered this difficult language.” (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM) The Jewish immigrants who successfully created equilibrium between the past and the present displayed what was known as “Yiddishkeit”, a mixture of East European Jewishness and American way of life. Despite the pressures to assimilate, a tight family network was maintained that supported both change and the preservation of native beliefs.

Italians comprised another large immigrant group journeying to America during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Although they inhabited many large U.S. cities, a majority settled in the Mulberry Street district of lower Manhattan. Here, Italian communities developed similar to many Jewish neighborhoods in which Italian businesses and residences lined the streets of this district. “Each village cluster attempted to reproduce the pace and patterns of its homeland setting.” (Pozetta, 1981) In accordance with many immigrant groups, Italians were concentrated in tenements housing large families in small spaces. These inner street ghettos provided on-lookers with many reasons to discriminate against Italians. Although economic conditions and little housing availability facilitated the unsanitary living conditions, many Italians and other immigrant groups were stereotyped as lazy and unsanitary.
Employment opportunities were much the same for Italian immigrants was as they were for most immigrant groups. Most took jobs in textile factories or other assembly factories, working in hazardous conditions for low wages. Italian women joined the workforce much more readily than Jewish women, often times taking on “home work” in order to work extra hours outside of the ten hour workday. In contrast to Jewish families pushing for the education of the children, Italian families preferred that their children contribute to the income of the household. It was common for Italian children in their native lands to attend school through the elementary level and upon its completion, join the workforce. In fact, in most cases this was expected. In America, however, laws were created to insure that children attended school at least until the age of fourteen and were strongly urged to continue education after that age. It was a major adjustment for Italian adolescents who were accustomed to essentially becoming adults after elementary school to all of a sudden become part of a distinct group of people that were no longer children, but had not
Italian families had a difficult time adjusting to the ways of American life, especially in terms of their children. Many disagreed with policies ensuring that children stayed in school as it took away opportunities for added income. In addition, many immigrant families were wary of the education their children were receiving, fearing that it facilitated the breakdown of the family unit and promoted immoral attitudes in their children. These families also believed that American education was not in accordance with traditional Italian culture and that it provoked disrespect and disobedience towards parents.
In addition to jobs held in factories, Italian men were critical in the physical expansion of New York at this time, as they provided strenuous manual labor in the beautification of New York’s streets. Italian immigrant men “worked in subway construction, street-grading, and rock and cement work as well as street cleaning, and they were crucial in building the modern infrastructure of the city, including Grand Central Station, the Bronx Aqueduct, and Jerome Park Reservoir.” (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM)
As with Jewish immigrants, various agencies were created in order to aid Italian immigrants in the transition to America. Among these were the Italian Chamber of Commerce, the Columbus Hospital, and the Society for the Protection of Italian Immigrants, the Italian Benevolent Institute, and a great number of Italian banks. (Margano, 1904) In addition to these agencies, the Italian immigrants enjoyed Italian-language newspapers such as Il Progresso. This paper helped to maintain ties to home as well as serving as “an agency helping immigrants adjust to American society and culture, publishing information about jobs and also providing advice on social and cultural incorporation.

The most prominent display of Italian immigrants’ attempts to create new identities that included both Italian and American ways of living was the celebration of Columbus Day. This largely American holiday became an expression of Italian-American culture. On October 12, 1938 millions of people congregated at Columbus Circle at West 59th Street in Manhattan honoring Italian Christopher Columbus. This celebration marked a fusion of Italian and American identities in which the immigrants established equilibrium between Italy and America. (American Identity Explorer, CD-ROM)
As with all immigrant groups, both Jewish and Italian immigrants were faced with mixed reactions from Americans regarding their place in American society. In accordance with historical reactions to immigrants, many Americans stereotyped immigrant groups as lazy, dirty, loud, uncouth, strange in ways of religion, mentally incompetent, and unable to assimilate into American society. A lot of strong viewpoints were expressed against immigration and immigrants in general which caused problems for generations that descended from immigrants, but they were American born. With regard to immigration restriction and the preservation of the Nordic race, Prescott Hall laments that the United States’ power to regulate the number of immigrants was an excellent opportunity “to exercise artificial selection on an enormous scale.” (Hall, 1906) Americans who were afraid that the large influx of immigrants would somehow “taint” the American race accepted this argument.
Despite the great number of tribulations immigrant groups endured, the end result was a nation of eclectic cultures and diverse ethnicities. Immigration has changed the definition of what it means to be an American by contributing such a vast background of origins and ways of living. Who today can say that he or she is American without taking into account numbers of ancestors that had immigrated to America? The only true native of America is the Native American Indian. Almost all the rest of Americans come from groups of people emigrating their own lands in search of better living in the New World. The experience of the immigrant is truly a valuable lesson to be learned in that it is a tool to understanding the history of the United States as well as the cyclical nature of reactions to groups different from the norm. Every strange group is strange for only a period of time, that is, until another strange group emerges to take its place.

History Essays