It is a well-known fact that the American nation is the nation of immigrants. People from all over the world have been coming to this land, hoping to start a happy and prosperous life. Generation after generation, those people assimilated and became real Americans, who considered the U.S. their home. They were not happy to see new people coming to the country. In 1880, the new wave of immigration began, and people from Southern and Eastern Europe started emigrating to American cities. (527.) Industrialization was booming, and new factories were eager to hire unskilled workers who were ready work a lot and did not demand much in return (527.) Nevertheless, such employment did not let them live happily. Although new immigrants could find many industrial jobs and contributed to America’s modernization, they struggled with exhausting and dangerous work, lived in poverty, and were discriminated by old immigrants.
By the end of the 19th century, the U.S. was experiencing intense industrialization, and the number of industrial workers rose up to about 17.4 million. (537.) People had numerous employment options, and the demand was high. The development of capitalism resulted in the opening of mills, factories, sweatshops, and other industrial working places (537). Immigrants rarely had skills to get well-paid jobs, and they were ready to work as industrial workers. They had no other choice but to apply for physically demanding and poorly paid jobs. They worked at mills, factories, and construction of railroad and subways. (537.) In other words, new immigrants contributed to modernization and development of American cities. The working conditions were poor because companies cared only about profits and not about the safety of their workers. To enhance productivity, bosses introduced machinery to production and did not pay any attention to safety rules. For example, Roark et al. quote a female employee who complained about the noise of a textile mill and said, “When the bobbin flies out and a girl gets hurt, you can’t hear her shout.” (537.) Another girl, a Polish Jew, had eleven-hour shifts in a sweatshop and received only about $4.50 weekly. (537.) Such poor working conditions put workers at high risk of injuries. Since there was no welfare, a loss of job was tragic for a worker’s family (537.) Nevertheless, new immigrants continued working in sweatshops and factories because they had no other choice. Unfortunately, such hard, dangerous, and exhausting work provided them with just enough money to survive.
Despite working hard for eleven or twelve hours a day, new immigrants lived in poverty. Their annual average wages varied between only $500 and $750. (532.) The boom of industrialization and intense construction have changed city landscapes dramatically. Rich people lived separately from poor, and immigrants of different cultural background tended to create isolated communities. (535.) There were areas, such as Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and New York City, where the majority of the population consisted of immigrants and their children. (527.) Most of them, just like other industrial workers, did not lead a life of luxury. They lived in small farmhouse-like cottages without water and sewer. (532.) Since houses had no sewage, human waste was not processed properly, and it was decomposing outdoors. Horses used for transportation also contributed to the bad smell and unsanitary conditions. (532.) As Roark et al. state, “After dark, light came from a flame supplied by a candle or kerosene.” (532.) Overall, living in a working-class neighborhood was a hard experience, completely unimaginable for a modern person. Although working in the U.S. provided more opportunities and freedom than in European countries, it did not guarantee a comfortable life.
The everyday experience of immigrants was affected by prejudice and racism. Although this country was built by newcomers, each new wave of them faced hostility from those who were already settled. As it was mentioned before, people from the South and East of Europe started coming to the U.S. after 1880. Individuals who accounted for the previous wave of immigration looked down upon them. Old immigrants were mostly from Britain, Ireland, and European areas where people spoke German. (527.) They disliked newcomers because they looked unusual and had different cultural and religious values. Also, new immigrants posed a real threat because they competed with old ones for work. Roark et al. quotes an Irish industrial worker who complained that Italians were “comin’ and takin’ the bread out of the mouths of honest people.” (531.) Because of vague concept of race, new immigrants were not considered “white” despite having no African ancestry. (531.) They struggled with discrimination and prejudice that affected their chances of successful employment and normal life.
Overall, new immigrants made a significant contribution to the development of American industries and cities. Nevertheless, they worked under harsh conditions, lived in poverty, and suffered from prejudice and discrimination from immigrants of previous generations. At the end of the 19th century, industrialization resulted in establishing of numerous factories that required a lot of cheap labor force. The work was exhausting, shifts were long, and wages were low. Newcomers accepted such conditions because they were not qualified for better jobs. They worked at a constant risk of injury, which could cost them their only way of supporting themselves and their families. Most of immigrants lived apart from rich people in little uncomfortable and unsanitary houses. Old immigrants despised them because of different cultural differences and economic competition. People of the Western European ancestry considered new immigrants non-white. The hard work of Polish, Italians, and others was thanked with prejudice, dehumanizing working conditions, and the life in poverty.
- Roark, James L., Johnson, Michael P., Cohen, Patricia Cline, Stage, Sarah, and Susan M. Hartmann. The American Promise. Launch Pad, 2017.
