Free Essay

Immigration Experience

In:

Submitted By
Words 826
Pages 4
Brandi Gaines
HIS 125- Week 3
Immigration Experience

Just as many Eastern Europeans in the 19th century, I was looking for a better way of life for myself and my family. Growing up as a child I was forced to learn the ways of life to prepare myself for the life I was living as an adult. I worked on a farm making very little money to raise myself and my family. It was heartbreaking for me to know I was simply raising my child in such a dreaded world and raising them to only experience my life as they grew older. I wanted so bad to provide a better life for my children. I was not provided an education so when I did seek immigration I knew it would be a challenge. As I did not know how to speak the language nor did I know anything about the way of life of anyone other than my own. When I immigrated, I went to Chicago; at first my living conditions remained very tough. Living in a small dirty environment, but I mad do with what I could. I took a log paying job that was not the most ideal safe position. I took a dangerous position in a steel mill. Here it was exhausting, long, hot, and dangerous hours I put in every day. At the start of every day I would have to remind myself why I made the decision to work here for such little pay. I was reminded how I was benifiting my family and myself. This risk was a big one to take but well worth it in the end. Eventually things began to look up for my family. We were able to live a happier, more free, more fair lifestyle. In the end that is all I wanted to my family. I continued to work just as hard and just a much as I did while I was in Poland, however I was finally being paid more for my work. After I seen how World War II destroyed my home country I was glad to see how my decision of leaving was a good one, and at that point I never looked back. Staying in Poland could have resulted in me losing my life or the life of a family member. After some time In America I was able to establish a better life for myself and my family. Those of us that could not afford first or second class passage made our journey to America through Ellis Island, New York. As long as we cleared a check point with being bombarded with questions and examinations we were able to pass. My family was lucky because many were considered criminals or carriers of disease and were quickly sent back to Poland. For that I am thankful for. Chicago attracted many immigrants such as myself. Those seeking jobs and new opportunities. It was not only appealing to immigrants from Poland, but Asia, Latin America, and others. Chicago quickly became the center of multiculturalism and enriched the United States with a more diverse population. Roman Catholicism and Judaism were the predominate faiths in Chicago brought by the immigrants. Although our lifestyle was changing for the better we did continue to face hard times due to the religious racism. American attitudes toward Jews were very prejudice. They even at one time tried to levy a special tax on Jews in hopes it would make us want to leave the state. Leaving Poland was a huge risk for me and my family. As I said before seeing my children grow up just to know they would have to experience the same lifestyle I was experiencing devastated me. Leaving Poland was a risk I was willing to take to better the lives of my children. To risk them not being able to make it through Ellis Island was a fear, as I was unsure they could pass the health examinations. However once my entire family was in Chicago it was a relief to know we made it. I provided a new better life for my children. They were given opportunities in America they would have never experienced in Poland. Learning to speak the language, having more of an education, not going hungry, having an opportunity to better themselves in many ways. That was my biggest dream and immigrating to America provided them that opportunity. I never look back with and regrets on making a big move to bring my family to America. It was a risk, and a dangerous one at that. I knew how hard it would be in the move and in the beginning, but that risk is one I am glad I took.

Ciotta, J. (). Polish Immigration to America from the 1800s to 1980s. Retrieved from https://suite.io/jennifer-ciotta/3mx921t

Adler, R. (June 6, 2011). Anti-Semitism Immigration in America. Retrieved from http://immigrationinamerica.org/350-anti-semitism.html?newsid=350

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Immigration Experience

...Immigration Experience Richard Page II HIS/120 September 21, 2015 Shaun Sullivan ------------------------------------------------- January 24, 1881 was the day I decided to make the biggest life changing move. I was leaving ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- my home and family back in Italy to explore a better life for myself. I felt as if I needed a fresh start ------------------------------------------------- It was on February 16, 1889 when I decided it was time to make a drastic change in my life. I wanted a life better for myself and the family so I headed out into the new world. This would mark the first time I would be leaving dear sweet Italy. I felt as if I needed a fresh start and America seemed like the perfect place to start a new beginning. I began my travel aboard a ship with other immigrants just like myself. The trip to America was not without its hardships the ship for the most part was crowded, food was in short supply and many of us got sick but never the less I was determined to make it. Enduring such hardships and surviving made me more appreciative about the life I have. ------------------------------------------------- Finally after such a long trip I have made it to America. The journey was long and crowded but after the things I saw it was well worth it. Ellis Island was the place where me and the other immigrants had made our way to. The year was 1892 the...

Words: 946 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Immigration Experience

...Immigration Experience HIS/125 My Home in Italy was becoming hard to live in, especially with the news of the opportunity that existed in America; I had seen a poster that was created by the railroad and steamship companies that portrayed this method of travel as the most affordable way to travel. Many of the steamship lines offered their tickets to be all inclusive to make it a more affordable package to travel to America. With all the stories of opportunity this was the way I wanted to travel to reach my opportunities. The price of the tickets for the steerage or third class was about $25 which was almost three weeks of works pay. There was protocol to follow if you were taking a trip on these steamships, those protocols were as followed: I was expected to reach the port that I would depart from approximately one day prior to the day I would depart for America. This was so that I could go through an extensive medical examination to assure that I had no lice and that I was as well as my luggage be disinfected and fumigated so that I would not transport any disease with me. I was also vaccinated. The trip by ship took us almost 12 days. My quarters that I would sleep and spend most of the trip in were in the steerage class, which were on the lower decks of the ship very close to the engine rooms. I was given a mattress of burlap stuffed with hay and a life preserver that was to be used as my pillow. The beds in my quarters were like bunk...

Words: 1881 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Immigration Experience

...Immigration Experience HIS/120 Immigration Experience Dear Journal, There are many reasons why my family decided to leave their homes in Italy and make the move to America. There were many political and religious issues, along with towns and homes being overcrowded. My family were farmers looking for a change and the unification was rural along with the land management was poor. As my family did not 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...

Words: 1002 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Immigration Experience

...Name HIS/125 Immigration Experience In the early 1900’s my father, mother, brother, two sisters and I immigrated to the United States from Ireland. We are the O’Farrell family and this is our story. My family and I at the age of 17 left Ireland in hopes of bettering our life and to make a future for myself. Our families are farmers and we had just lost our land. There was another Potato Famine like the one in the 1800’s, where people were starving, getting sick and not being able to make money to get what we needed. With no way to feed our families and no stability we sought a better opportunity elsewhere. As time passed things only got worse in Ireland and the conditions were horrible, many of us including our neighbors were trying to move to America. We first took a boat across the Atlantic Ocean. It seemed like it took forever and it was no luxurious ride by no means! We were miserable and there was a certain stench that burned our noses. Our beds were way down in the bottom of the boat. There were bunks here, one on top of the other, they were everywhere! There were so many people I felt like we were a stack of potato sacks. There was no room to actually get comfortable. One night there was this huge storm that rocked the boat back and forth making me sea sick. The rain would pour down like it would never stop. One person I heard saying the Captain thought we were going to sink. I had begun to get very scared. Eventually...

Words: 905 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Immigration Experience

...Summary My name is. It is the year 1901, and I have decided to create this journal as a guide to my experience that I will soon be seeking to better my family and my life. We have decided to embark on a new life in the United States. I have received letters from my relatives, describing the extreme happiness that they have found since migrated to the land of freedom. January 1, 1901: We are experiencing severe economic hardships here in Poland. I am a land owner and farmer. Unfortunately, the political movements here and the increasing pressures have caused me make the decision to move to the United States. Here in Poland, we are considered to be among the poorest class and even though I own land, it only seems as if our way of life is decreasing. We cherish our home land, but after receiving letters from our relatives in the United States, it only seems the best choice to migrate. If you do not own land, then you are considered to be ruined; however, I am going to risk everything we own so we can venture to the land of opportunity where we can prosper in many aspects of life. January 5, 1901: I met with a local farmer, and was able to sell him my land to pay the expenses for the ship ride for me and my family. I have sold everything we own so we can afford the trip and have a little extra to help us start a new life. I am wondering if this is the right thing to do. I am scared. January 6, 1901: I met with a local business man that was able to get me and my family...

Words: 1155 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Color

...APRIL 29 in lecture Minimum of THREE (3) Key Themes: sexuality, dating and marriage experiences – family and kinship experiences - economic (subsistence) experiences – the roles of race and ethnicity in the life of your informant (including the impact of racism and/or racial tension) - the social expectations of men and women (gender roles) as experienced by your informant- problems related to living in an increasingly industrialized society - social pressures related to the body - education experience- religious beliefs and experiences Paper Structure Introduction Body Conclusion Introduction ● Introduce the topic of your paper: immigrant or senior citizen. ● Introduce who your informant is and what is your relationship to him or her. ● Why you chose to interview him or her. ● Introduce the three (3) key themes that you will be examining in your paper Body Body Paragraph 1: Key Theme #1 Body Paragraph 2: Key Theme #2 Body Paragraph 3: Key Theme #3 Body Paragraphs: Basic Paragraph Structure Topic Sentence(s) Supporting Sentences Concluding Sentence(s) Body Paragraphs: Topic Sentence(s) Introduces the topic of the paragraph. It is a statement that creates questions in the reader's mind. Example Topic Sentence: The first key theme that I will examine is religious beliefs and experiences of my uncle in his immigration experience. Body Paragraphs:Supporting Sentence(s) Support or explain the idea expressed in the...

Words: 538 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Case Study

...contributions to the overall project and report. We are grateful to Status of Women Canada for funding this project and for the continued sponsorship of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres. We also thank the members of our Advisory Committee for pushing and challenging us throughout this project. We thank the women who facilitated focus groups and helped us contact the women in this study. Finally, this report would not be possible without the contributions of the women who told us about their experiences. © 2004 Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children ISBN# 0-9688655-3-4 1 “To understand violence, we have to examine both the personal experience and the terrain of that experience.” Dr. Yasmin Jiawani This report is built on the personal experiences of women who have experienced workplace harassment, but their stories are also about the “terrain” or the context of those experiences. In drawing out the commonalities of their experiences, we have begun to shed light on the terrain. We must transform the terrain if women are to have equality and safety in their workplaces. 2 We dedicate this report to Theresa Vince whose death in 1996 changed the views of many people in Ontario about sexual and workplace harassment. Her tragic and untimely death showed us that workplace harassment can no longer be easily dismissed as a trivial problem. Fundamentally, the goal of this report is to prevent any other woman from losing her ...

Words: 63386 - Pages: 254

Free Essay

The Successful More Than Human Garson Poole

...something beyond human. After his tape ran out Garson Poole felt an intense rush of emotion and feeling simultaneously, a literal, real, physical synesthesia; Garson Poole felt human for the first time. The details he sees, hears, tastes, smells, and touches are significant because they are what finally cause Poole to feel human. The tape filtered Garson's senses: he had one type of touch, one type of hearing, one type of sight, etc; when the tape ran out, the filter was removed, and Garson was able to experience the contrast of an unfiltered world. His statement, "I am living, I have lived, I will never live," can be interpreted as an allusion to "veni, vidi, vici" through the use of asyndeton. The Narrator describes what is happening to Poole's actual mechanical body as if it had no person relying on it, as something that is simply replaceable. After Poole discovered that he was indeed not a human, his quest was to get rid of his reality tape in order to have the "opportunity to experience everything. Simultaneously. To know the universe and its entirety, to be momentarily in contact with all reality. Something that no human can do" (Dick 236). Once Poole did cut the tape, although he had up to 40 minutes to put it back together, he choose to delay long enough so that when he looked into his chest he saw it was too late for him and came to the realization that it was going to be over finally. Dick then uses extensive imagery and metaphor usage with phrases like "the silky texture...

Words: 1532 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Performance Evaluations

...personnel I have mentored. I believe my motivation to work mostly unsupervised and the innovative ideas I have applied to GCSS-J and other programs has established a trustworthiness of my character to TEP for my own task or a current one already contracted by the company. 2. I want to continue in enhancing data accessing or mining applications for the GCSS-J program, as well as mentor others in applying the same application to their programs. Leadership: 1. Since the trust of the company’s leadership has seen fit to place me in areas of greater responsibility, I want to continue with working with peers and mentoring less experienced associates, so the company may optimize my experience. Teamwork is an essential element in TASC’s service to our government. 2. With my seasoned experience in testing protocols and the research requirements prior to fielding, my valuable knowledge would be appropriately used in leading a program or assigned more involvement in mentoring others in preparation for testing, requirements during the testing, and standards for compiling testing data. Development: 1. I would like to continue my development at TASC by submitting a bid for a government project. In so doing, I would research, coordinate, and conduct all phases required to meet the contracted project. Concurrently, if the task requires additional personnel, I want to develop an environment of responsibility while leading the task with the core competencies of leadership...

Words: 325 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Why We Travel

...The article “Why We Travel” by Pico Iyer talks about his views and opinions on why people travel to foreign places and what they expect to gain from their trips. He also mentioned a few of his past experiences and his feelings based on his travelling days. Based on this article, we conclude that travelling is not only moving elsewhere other than our homes and coming back the same person. It changes a person’s perception of life in either positive or negative ways. Through his personal travels, he has highlighted travelling makes him sees in a different point of view in most of the countries like in Paris, Mickey Rourke was still known as the greatest actor since Jerry Lewis. I’m in a full agreement in his statement of his definition of the joy travelling as people have to be open minded to enjoy ourselves. An example which would be meeting and understanding the local trends like I did when I was in Japan. Their trending faster than Malaysia when I was there. Besides that, he brought up that travelling is a way to reverse time to a small extent, and make a day last a year. I also strongly support this as families tend to cram a bunch of activities all in a day because no one in this world wants to “waste time” but wanting to make use of the little time they have away from home. I have also experienced travelling and wanting to accomplish all the plans in a day as I was in Italy for 2 months of vacation but unfortunately did not manage to visit all the...

Words: 408 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Sales and Relationship Management - J.P. Reynolds Investments

...1. I can identify almost all type of variables that could affect performances reviewing the two interviews. The way the candidates describe their experience shows off that they have , even if in different views, a role perception about the job. Furthermore, opposite motivations and aptitude to the work are remarked through their expectancies and behavioral strategies. They present skill levels depending on their carrier’s path . I think organizational (defining only the area) and the environmental factors relating to the job are missing. 2. In my opinion, Dag Wicklo (DW) has a better perception of the work is going to do because of his previous experience in this field as employee and his love for selling and speak with people. Katharine Bryant (KB) knows the specific technical language but she never work as sales in this particular field and maybe she doesn’t know or remember what does it means to work as employee instead of being an owner. For J.P. Reynolds I think a good variable for perception could be the accuracy in the way candidates see the job with all the pro and cons, so being experienced in this particular field matters. Within motivations I can see again a remarkable will to make money from DW and but I could not for KB. She doesn’t feel stimulate to gain money and this could affect her performance as well. The company’s point of view on motivations has to be in line with maximization of the opportunities. DW seems more willing to try to exploit his balance...

Words: 601 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Books vs. Experience

...Hope.Live.Life.Love.Experience.Learn.Laugh.Cry.Smile.Hope.Live.Love.Experience.Learn.Laugh.Cry “Not Everything That Is Learned Is Contained In Books” By: Reem HachacheENG202 Fall 2013-2014Term Paper | “Learning is defined as a human adaptation process. It is a process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. The learning cycle theory begins with...

Words: 1456 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Plato Does Not Value Experience Enough

...“Plato does not value experience enough” Discuss (10) Plato was a philosopher and mathematician born in Greece. If someone does not value something, it suggests they do not believe in its worth, importance or usefulness. To begin with, Plato was not an empiricist; someone who believes that knowledge is derived from the experience of their senses. This was due to the fact that Plato believed in A prior knowledge; knowledge gained before experience. Plato believed that when we were born, our immortal soul already gained some sort of knowledge which we are able to use in this world. Therefore Plato does not value experience enough due to his beliefs. Furthermore, Plato understood that the world in which we live is the World of Appearances, where the objects in this life are just poor copies of their true forms in the Realm of Forms. We are deceived by our senses because they limit us to how much knowledge someone can have. For example, there is only so much that we can see from our eyes, which therefore limits our knowledge. On the other hand, pain can argue against this. If you were to hit your head on something quite hard, you will feel pain and come to understand this the world we live in is real and not an “appearance”, and the experience we get here is the only experience that exists. This illustrates that Plato did not value experience enough because he thought that our senses deceived us. Similarly, Plato argued that everything in this world, the World of Appearances...

Words: 679 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

English

...never experience writing to larn, not just to learn about a particular project but to learn about themselves, their values, their experiences, their environment. As teachers of composition, at some point in our careers we have undoubtedly experienced writing apprehension. We can understand why some develop an aversion to writing and would do almost anything to avoid it. WRITING APPREHENSION DEFINED the term as the tendency to experience high degrees of anxiety when asked to write, resulting in an approach-avoidance conflictive state which manifests itself in one’s behaviors, attitudes, and written products. Behaviors 1. They tend to select careers which they perceive to require little or no writing. 2. They tend to avoid courses and majors which require writing on a daily basis. 3. They write very little out of class. 4. They lack role models for writing at home, in school, and in the society at large. 5. They score lower on tests of verbal ability (SAT), reading comprehension, and standardized tests of writing ability used for college placement. 6. They do not necessarily lack motivation. Attitudes 1. Their self-concept is often lower, and they may lack self-confidence. 2. They report low success in prior experiences with school-related writing. 3. They have received negative teacher responses to prior writing attempts. 4. They are more apprehensive when writing personal narratives in which they must express personal feelings, beliefs, and experiences. 5...

Words: 494 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Why Choose Business

...In coming of age one is often burdened with independence, motivation and the uncertainty of the future. In my opinion, having to undergo these changes while juggling the rigorous demands of college academic’s frequently leads to the wrong decisions. What separates me from all the other potential candidates is that I have the independence, motivation and experience from the real world to apply myself fully at Carnegie-Melon University. In my experience from manufacturing with National Petroleum Product Company (NPPC) to banking with Qatar National Bank (QNB), leading to auditing with one of the big four firms; KPMG, I have had a wealth of exposure to the business world. I have undergone job experiences such as an apprenticeship at NPPC, which introduced me to the responsibilities and work ethic required to succeed.  An Internship at QNB Capital which gave me the platform to develop a professional persona and understand the nuances of the business world, and lastly a rigorous 12 hour daily internship at KPMG which has taught me the skills to work and think both independently and as a valuable member of a team. These experiences all complement the diverse skill set that shaped my personality. I have volunteered in red-cross sponsored charity events and organized my own events (American School of Doha Talent Show, Pakistan Flood Relief Red Cross Charity Fundraiser). I find that one very useful skill in my repertoire...

Words: 483 - Pages: 2