“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden
door!” (The New Colossus) Those were the words that greeted the immigrants to America as they came to Ellis
Island. Lady Liberty stood with a torch that blazed freedom
as many hopeful hearts entered into the land of the free. “Between 1870 and 1910, the country received more than twenty
million immigrants.” (The American Journey 525) This immigration boom was spurred by the Industrial Revolution in America and the hopes of better prospects in the hearts of many foreigners. The new wave of immigration brought forth
many new cultures to America, changing the dynamic of the country even more than that of previous immigration.
Southern European and Eastern European immigrants all came to America in the
years after the Civil War to the time of the Immigration Act of 1924 in order to become more prosperous then they thought
possible in their homeland.
After the Civil War, there was a broader spectrum of foreigners coming to the United States than what had previously been seen. Eastern
Europe served as a new source of immigrants. Over four million
people from Eastern Europe came to America from the year 1880 to 1914. (The Migration to North America) The large immigration
of the era was sparked by the need for workers in the United States in combination
with the scarcity of work in Eastern Europe. The Industrial Revolution gave rise to a new workforce of unskilled individuals
working under harsh conditions for low wages. Eastern Europeans would come to America and accept lower wages than Americans would. In a time where people were already earning less than livable wages,
the labor competition caused resentment against immigrants. (The American Journey 531) Another reason for Eastern European
immigration in the later portion of the nineteenth century was the freedom that America offered. Such was the case for the Russian Jews who entered the United States.
They wanted to escape pogroms, which were “government directed attacks against Jewish citizens, property, and villages
in tsarist Russia.” (The American Journey 526) To the Jewish people under attack, America was seen as an outlet for religious freedom, making immigration appealing. Because America had much to offer the people of Eastern Europe, many immigrants entered the United States
in hopes of finding the happiness they so deeply wanted.
The other new source for European immigration in the post-Civil War years was Southern Europe.
Both Eastern and Southern Europeans made up seventy percent of the total immigration to America by the year 1910. (Immigration in the Early 1900s) The most prolific source of Southern European immigrants was
Italy. Over four million Italians came to America, many of whom were young males from Southern
Italy seeking temporary unskilled work in factories. Those
who planned to stay in the United States permanently usually were farmers from Northern Italy. (American Immigration
43) Also from Southern Europe were the Greek Immigrants. Over 350,000 people from Greece migrated to the United States between 1900 and 1920. They came to America to get away from prejudices, higher taxes, and military obligation. (American Immigration 49) America was a source of refuge for the Southern Europeans. The immigrants were able to leave behind their troubled lives
in their homelands in order to start new lives filled with hope. Many of the immigrants were lacking fulfillment in their
former lives and hoped to find it in America.
To the Europeans who were dealt with persecution and denied prosperity, America was an appealing place. Yet once in their new home prosperity was not easily found. “The new immigrants
filled up the cities faster than they could be accommodated with comfort and found themselves jammed into tenements.”
(Immigration in the 19th and 20th Centuries) The tenements show just how awful life in America was for immigrants during the Industrial Revolution. They worked for extremely low wages and were forced to live
in unsanitary quarters without meeting the requirements for a decent quality of life. To add to this misery, the immigrants
were often looked down upon by Nativists. Nativists formed organizations such as the American Protective Association in 1887
and the Immigration Restriction League. These were attempts to limit the amount of Catholic and European immigrants. (The
American Journey 531) Racism and labor competition was the root of Nativism. Immigrants were often stereotyped and forced
into particular working roles by the American society. Although many came with the intent to quickly earn money and then go
back to their homeland, this was often not the case. At a time when America could
not provide prosperity for many of its natives, it could not provide wealth to its immigrants. The new European immigrants
were exposed to harsh circumstances with no option but to try and make the best of their new lives in America.
The journey to America was not an easy
task for immigrants. The immigrants entering America during the Industrial
Revolution believed that they were coming to a land of prosperity that would bring quick riches. Little did they realize the
harsh realities that would face them once the journey to their new home was complete. They left behind terrible persecutions
and failed economic success to find spiritual and material riches in the United States.
Although they faced harsh times upon their arrival to America, many believed
their new home was better than the home they had left behind. America has been
known as the land of the free. The hope that comes with freedom has created what America is today- a place of all cultures with the common goal for a prosperous life.
Works Cited
American Immigration. Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 1999.
Goldfield, David, et al. The American Journey.
New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
Immigration in the 19th and 20th
Centuries. 25 May, 2009. http://www.sagehistory.net/gildedage/immigration.htm.
The Migration to North America. 24 May, 2009. http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/history/migration/chapter52.html.
The New Colossus. 25 May,
2009. http://www.libertystatepark.com/emma.htm.
