Journal Entry
Between 1880 and 1920 cities were booming and the industrial expansion was evident. Immigration was on the rise, sending the population dangerously soaring on top of those already in the cities. Immigrants were flocking to America because of economic opportunities but this led to disease, violence and cities being over populated. But it also had its advantages when the Civil War broke out and state militias were needed.
Job availability was not keeping up with the population in Europe so immigrants started migrating to the East and Midwest. The vast numbers of immigrants who flooded into the North and West during the nineteenth century provided evidence of a vibrant, blended economy of small farms and urban centers with brisk entrepreneurial and industrial sectors (Meyers, 2011). Here they sought opportunities which fueled the growth of cities. What they didn’t realize is that this generated many unforeseen problems in areas of sanitation, disease, housing, overcrowding, crime and general "immorality” (Glaser, 2005).
But immigration was not just a burden to the Americans as they saw it to be. To expand their armies, each national government relied on militias raised by the state. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, armed forces were majority made up of immigrants making them multicultural. Some of these immigrants like the German and Irish already had prior military service which posed as an advantage. Immigration of Europeans served our country in various ways.
When we think of immigrants coming into our country we are most likely to jump to adverse conclusions. We find every negative reason to keep them from coming or to slander them. But when you look back, the Civil War, one of the most prevalent wars in history was fought by these people. They helped fight for a country that was not theirs but believed and had hope that they would prosper here.
References
Glaser, L. (2005). Post Reconstructoin Through 1920. Retrieved from http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/
Meyers, M. R. (2011). Immigration In America. Retrieved from http://immigrationinamerica.org
