...immigration ports such as New York and San Francisco. The end result would be the movement of over 10 million people into the U.S. over a 20 year span, which would lead to similar acts of nativism by the people that we sometimes face today. In my essay I will explore the early years of immigration through Ellis Island, how Ellis Island was important for being the torch in the East and how the geography would affect the situation immigrants faced. Before the torch, before the arrival of millions of people into the U.S. seeking...
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...Riley Goff Professor Reed HIST 1302 10 February 2015 “The New Colossus” Response Lazarus’s poem is important because it explains what immigrants faced when they came to the new world. The poem helps explain the feelings that immigrants may have had about leaving where they came from, compared to America. As well as, what they initially saw and felt as they arrived in America. The first line of the poem “Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame”(Lazarus 1) shows a difference between the Colossus of Rhodes and the Statue of Liberty. The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue that is debated between welcoming people to the trading harbor, or separates the island keeping invaders from entering the Greek island of Rhodes. Where as, the Statue of Liberty...
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...Together as One Often described as a “melting pot”, the United States of America has a rich history of welcoming immigrants, with their many traditions and customs, with open arms. Before the founding fathers signed their declaration, the “New World” of America was already viewed as a safe haven and land of freedom for those escaping religious and social persecution. As our nation developed, the stream of immigrants increased, fueling industrialization through the mid to late 1800s. On the heels of the Industrial Revolution, immigration numbers spiked, leading to Emergency Quota Acts in the 1920s. Such restrictions continued through the rest of the century, changing the ethnic makeup of the United States. In recent years, heated discussions concerning immigration have emerged on the national political platform. As the nation’s leaders reevaluate the role of immigrants in the United States, from a legal perspective it is important to remember the influence such people have had on the nation’s social, cultural, and economical history. Since the founding of the United States, numerous legislative acts that have been passed by the government, in order to regulate the immigrants entering to America. In 1798, four such laws were passed by the United States Congress. Referred to as the Alien and Sedition Acts, these laws were created due to the fear of war with France, and they were intended to strengthen the Federal Government. Sponsored by the Federalist Party, the Acts...
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...Spé Anglais Texte 1: On the threshold of a new world This document is an excerpt from the novel Ellis Island and other stories written by Mark Helprin in 1976. The extract is entitled « On the threshold of a new world », the scene takes place in Ellis Island, which is a small island in the NYC harbor. It’s an immigration station where immigrants came from all over Europe to get their American dream, which means freedom and equality. The narrator comes from Eastern Europe and he describes his arrival in Ellis Island, which consists in a very precise medical examination. . The medical examination (l.1 to 21) -The immigrant is surprised, he asks the officer “why” (l.8) but then he has to obey to him; he’s at his mercy, the officer can decide of his future and he could ship the immigrant back to Europe -The narrator is young and a bachelor; he’s well educated (l.29); he might be a Jew from Eastern Europe since he speaks Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian… -Must have emigrated for: political and religious reasons; persecuted for his beliefs; denied the right to vote; wanted to have a good job and a good life. -He hoped he could sell his books, find prosperity, have more freedom, better standard of living, better future, no social boundaries to climb up the social ladder. . The questioning examination: a suspicious immigrant (l.22 to 41) -The young woman is very wary about the narrator: “suspicious”, “sharply”, “disgust”, “commanded”, “shouted”, “cold eyes”. -He might...
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...of the new United States sat down and wrote to the members of the Volunteer Association and other Inhabitants of the Kingdom of Ireland who were rankling under the yoke of British colonialism. In this letter Washington provided advice to buoy their spirits and off handedly provided his thoughts on immigration to the country that he had fought to free: “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges…” (Spalding, 1994, p.36). 233 years later and the open bosom that Washington spoke of has been encased in armor, sealed behind stout oak. The tenets of the USA Patriot Act have made the process of immigration to the United States an almost impossible task for many of the world’s population. However the Patriot Act alone did not make Washington’s statement seem quaint and idealized. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1892, the cold inhospitable surroundings inside the fortress like Ellis Island, and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 made Washington’s welcoming bosom an impossibility, a dream which remains unrealized. On May 6, 1882 the corpulent, mustachioed 21st inhabitant of the executive mansion, President Chester A. Arthur signed into law The Chinese Exclusion Act which placed an absolute 10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration, and imposed new requirements on and Chinese born immigrant who had...
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...Texte 1: On the threshold of a new world This document is an excerpt from the novel Ellis Island and other stories written by Mark Helprin in 1976. The extract is entitled « On the threshold of a new world », the scene takes place in Ellis Island, which is a small island in the NYC harbor. It’s an immigration station where immigrants came from all over Europe to get their American dream, which means freedom and equality. The narrator comes from Eastern Europe and he describes his arrival in Ellis Island, which consists in a very precise medical examination. . The medical examination (l.1 to 21) -The immigrant is surprised, he asks the officer “why” (l.8) but then he has to obey to him; he’s at his mercy, the officer can decide of his future and he could ship the immigrant back to Europe -The narrator is young and a bachelor; he’s well educated (l.29); he might be a Jew from Eastern Europe since he speaks Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian… -Must have emigrated for: political and religious reasons; persecuted for his beliefs; denied the right to vote; wanted to have a good job and a good life. -He hoped he could sell his books, find prosperity, have more freedom, better standard of living, better future, no social boundaries to climb up the social ladder. . The questioning examination: a suspicious immigrant (l.22 to 41) -The young woman is very wary about the narrator: “suspicious”, “sharply”, “disgust”, “commanded”, “shouted”, “cold eyes”. -He might be a danger...
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...This document is an excerpt from the novel Ellis Island and other stories written by Mark Helprin in 1976. The extract is entitled « On the threshold of a new world », the scene takes place in Ellis Island, which is a small island in the NYC harbor. It’s an immigration station where immigrants came from all over Europe to get their American dream, which means freedom and equality. The narrator comes from Eastern Europe and he describes his arrival in Ellis Island, which consists in a very precise medical examination. . The medical examination (l.1 to 21) -The immigrant is surprised, he asks the officer “why” (l.8) but then he has to obey to him; he’s at his mercy, the officer can decide of his future and he could ship the immigrant back to Europe -The narrator is young and a bachelor; he’s well educated (l.29); he might be a Jew from Eastern Europe since he speaks Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian… -Must have emigrated for: political and religious reasons; persecuted for his beliefs; denied the right to vote; wanted to have a good job and a good life. -He hoped he could sell his books, find prosperity, have more freedom, better standard of living, better future, no social boundaries to climb up the social ladder. . The questioning examination: a suspicious immigrant (l.22 to 41) -The young woman is very wary about the narrator: “suspicious”, “sharply”, “disgust”, “commanded”, “shouted”, “cold eyes”. -He might be a danger, a threat because he writes books, he may...
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...The definition of immigration is the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. However, there is much more to it. From 1892 to 1924 Ellis Island, one of the largest immigration port of registries, was open. (“Welcome to Ellis Island”) here, people traveling from all over the world came to live the American Dream. The traveled day and night. Crossing the ocean could take up to two months. When I got to the island I could take days just to be registered. These people faced many enduring challenges and hard sacrifice, but then it was all worth it. For America provided jobs, freedom, and much more. The challenges these immigrants faced we're almost endless. Most of them with their class travelers, so their journey to Ella violent took one to three months. Writing across the ocean, they could only look forward. Most had just lost everything. Money I have left their families, belongings, and home. When they finally arrived to the island, the first and...
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...that no human should have to live in. We were constantly worried about any of the sick on the boat and constantly saw death all around us. The trip felt like it would never end. I had the luxury of seeing the people above us in the other classes as I was boarding. They had enough room to fit five people in one part of their room. They had nice living and dining arrangements and we constantly pampered throughout the trip. We were left to fend for ourselves until the ship landed. The whole trip we had to entertain ourselves with music and dancing in what little space we had. They set up groups for us to prepare for the interview when we would arrive in Ellis Island. I was lucky enough to already speak a little English and became significantly better on the trip thanks to the others helping me practice. As we drew closer to Ellis Island the rumors became stronger and louder about rejections and...
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...have a lot of cash, we could only afford to buy tickets in the cargo area of the ship. The food was horrible as we were sailing to the new land. We ate a lot of potatoes, soup, and left overs. It was food to comfort us but not what I really wanted to eat. Often times I found myself still hungry after eating, as the food had to be stretched to feed all of us. At night we would roll out the sacks that the potatoes were transported in. Piling them sometimes 3-5 high to make a soft bed out and covering with our blankets we each brought with us is how we would sleep at night. It was not how I pictured us sleeping, but it was a safe place and at least I was with my family. The only real time we saw daylight and fresh air was when we went to the upper deck to wash. I remember the smell of the air and beauty of the sunshine on my face to this day. My brothers and sisters hated going back below deck as it was the last time we would see the outside until the next day. The weather on our journey to America over the Atlantic Ocean made me ill. The storms would rock the ship side to side and at times it would feel like as if the ship was going to turn on its side. When we finally reached Ellis Island I felt a sense of fear disappear but that was short lived once we got inside. “Only immigrants who rode in steerage on ships had to stop at Ellis Island for inspection. The rest of the...
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...factors that led to migration. The Italians settled in New York City, so we will be looking at the tenement housing, working condition, and the journey from Italy to American. The attitudes of the Americans about the immigrations will also be examined. From 1906 to 1915 almost two million Italians migrated to the United States. Many Italians migrated to the United States because Italy there weren’t any jobs. Overpopulation and poverty was another reason Italians migrated to the United States. They believed that the United States was the land of opportunity and that they will find better jobs and housing. The poverty rate in Italy included lack of medical care, lack of schooling, and poor housing conditions. When they decided to come to America it was a way to escape from these things. The bad economy and the shortage of land caused Italian immigrants to leave Italy. The Majority of the immigrants settled in New York City when they got to the United States. Some of them migrated because of political reasons or because of the dream of one day of returning to Italy with enough money to buy land. Political hardship was also a factor in the Italians migrating to America. In the 1870s the government took measures to repress political views such as anarchy and socialism (Alexander Molnar, 2010). The Italian immigrants became part of what was known as the “New Immigration.” This was the third largest group of immigrants from Europe, which was a combination of Slavs, Jews...
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...industrialization, urbanization, and economic expansion. Central to this dynamic period was the massive influx of immigrants who arrived on American shores in search of better opportunities. These immigrants played a pivotal role in shaping the economic landscape of the United States, contributing significantly to its growth and development. They provided the labor force essential for the burgeoning industries, fueled innovation and entrepreneurship, and enriched the...
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...conditions but also the new types of industries, immigrants coming to the United States with their culture, the discrimination against certain people who were immigrants, overcrowding and the building of some of the most powerful cities in the world. With the growth of the industry...
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...Immigration When you think of immigration, you think of Illegal immigration and Mexicans invading our country. Immigration goes back centuries. There are so many aspects of it and various cultures that immigrate to different countries. Let’s start with the immigration that I’m most familiar with which is Mexican immigration. I myself find the process very interesting. I was lucky enough be born in the United States, as well as my siblings; my parents however, weren’t as lucky. All, my life I thought that they were born in Mexico and someday my grandfather thought to bring his family to the states and that was it. When I grew older, I started to notice that both my parents had to show the customs agents their green card. I didn’t understand why. I asked my mother why she did that and she said “that’s how I can cross back to the states and we can all go home.” And here I thought all I had to say was “American Citizen”. Years passed and both my parents became naturalized citizens. I started working at my recent job about a year ago and a co-worker was getting married. She told me that she set the date for April but she was going to get married through the court house in November because she wanted to get the immigration paperwork started as soon as possible. She then started to tell me the process, and honestly, it’s exhausting. There are different types of process that you can take while immigrating someone. Some examples are: You can marry a Mexican...
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...Immigration When you think of immigration, you think of Illegal immigration and Mexicans invading our country. Immigration goes back centuries. There are so many aspects of it and various cultures that immigrate to different countries. Let’s start with the immigration that I’m most familiar with which is Mexican immigration. I myself find the process very interesting. I was lucky enough be born in the United States, as well as my siblings; my parents however, weren’t as lucky. All, my life I thought that they were born in Mexico and someday my grandfather thought to bring his family to the states and that was it. When I grew older, I started to notice that both my parents had to show the customs agents their green card. I didn’t understand why. I asked my mother why she did that and she said “that’s how I can cross back to the states and we can all go home.” And here I thought all I had to say was “American Citizen”. Years passed and both my parents became naturalized citizens. I started working at my recent job about a year ago and a co-worker was getting married. She told me that she set the date for April but she was going to get married through the court house in November because she wanted to get the immigration paperwork started as soon as possible. She then started to tell me the process, and honestly, it’s exhausting. There are different types of process that you can take while immigrating someone. Some examples are: You can marry a Mexican...
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