Immigration In The 19th Century

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Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration became so prominent in America between 1870 and 1900 that the foreign-born population of the United States had almost doubled. A lot of German and Irish Catholics had immigrated in the 1840’s and 1850’s, and more decided to immigrate after the Civil War. A portion of Americans were biased against Catholics. Thankfully, the Irish spoke English and the German Catholics reputation was improved because of their Protestant countrymen’s good reputation. However, their children often lacked any skill or education, but they were able to blend in quite well with the American society. More and more immigrants would migrate to the United States without any skill or education and on top of that they were usually poor. These immigrants were called “new” immigrants and they came from all over the world including Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. However, you cannot blame immigrants for migrating to America. Many immigrants faced religious persecution in their home countries which pushed them away, otherwi... ... middle of paper ... ... the mail and also tends to be much faster. There is no doubt America has advanced dramatically in terms of social equality, as well as economic equality. Any person of any race or gender can apply for any job without the worry of facing discrimination or sexism. It is ironic that racism and discrimination is now unlawful where as in the 19th century it was not only promoted, but laws were passed to ensure the rights of natural born citizens instead of foreign immigrants. Works Cited Author’s last name, first name. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year. Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Title of Publication Date Published: Pages. Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Online Article.” Title of Online Publication Version (Year Published): Pages. Date Accessed . “Title of Article.” Title of Media. CD-ROM. City: Publisher, Year.

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