Coming to America: Immigration in the 19th and 20th Centuries Throughout history, immigrants have come to America for many different reasons. Their presence in America had a great impact on the country. There have been four different periods of immigration from America's founding to the present. The first period, the Formative Era, lasted until 1815. Then came the 19th century era, which extended from about 1815 to 1824. The third period was the Restriction Era, which ran from 1924 to the mid-1960s. Finally, the era of renewed immigration began in 1965 and continues today as immigrants continue to populate America. Although each wave played an important role in American history, it was the 19th century era of immigration that had the greatest impact on how America became the country that she is today. Not only did this wave of immigration create a huge population boom, but it also set the tone for a new industrialized nation as immigrants from all over the world came to America, primarily for economic prosperity. Although immigrants came here for a better life, they often faced many difficulties and had no one to turn to. Immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries may not be considered a prosperous and happy time for many; however, it was necessary for the future of America and its people. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Immigrants came to the United States from all over the world, from countries large and small. Irish immigrants made up a significant number of the total immigrants arriving in the late 19th century. In 1900, there were more than ten million foreign-born people in America, and more than 15 percent came from Ireland. Others came from all over Europe, including Britain, Norway, Germany, Italy, Poland and many others. Immigrants also came from the East as large numbers of Chinese and Japanese entered the country. They came for several different reasons, including religion, war, overpopulation, family, new opportunities, economic prosperity, and more. America was considered a country of freedom, equal rights, and prosperity (Keene). Immigrants believed that their lives would be better in such a country. Coming alone was not very common and most often immigrants brought their immediate family as well as extended family. This is the case depicted in The Jungle, with Ona and Jurgis Rudkus traveling to America with a total of twelve family members, including children, parents and cousins. They came hoping to find a better life, as they were looking for higher incomes as salaries in their home country, Lithuania, were very low and the family was in deep debt. For the Jurgis family, America was considered a place of wealth and love (Sinclair). This was a norm for many families who came to America when industrialization hit America in the late 19th century and created many jobs with higher wages than in their home countries. Many of these jobs were in large East Coast cities, but others moved further west. As industrialization hit America, cities grew very quickly. With the rapid emergence of raw materials, cheap labor, and innovation, America was becoming a new country. Machines have become the tool of the century andthe need for skilled workers decreased, as anyone could perform the tasks required by the machines. To the machines came the big companies. Manufacturing plants were being built quickly in cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. These towns were popular locations for European immigrants since the ships they traveled on most of the time passed through Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Ellis Island is where immigrants first entered the country. Here they answered questions and filled out paperwork to become citizens (Keene). Therefore, the easiest and most profitable place for immigrants to find work was New York City. With the number of people entering New York City, it quickly became overcrowded, causing other cities like Philadelphia and Chicago to become popular. Chicago also became a travel destination renowned for its stockyards, which provided thousands of jobs. As the Jurgis family's case shows, Chicago was an easily accessible city with a growing economy and plenty of jobs. Additionally, larger cities were desirable because they offered easy transportation and there was a good chance of finding other people from your home country. The West was also a popular place for immigrants, especially those from Asia, because it was easier to access. As a result, the West Coast of the United States quickly prospered. After the discovery of gold in places like California, the Western population began to grow. Along with Manifest Destiny and several laws that gave Americans land in the West, industrialization slowly began to move west. To do this, the railroad was a necessity and it became an excellent work opportunity for many Chinese and other immigrants. Other industries, such as steel and coal, attracted significant numbers of people to the West. Although Chinese immigrants were considered dirty, dangerous, and strange, workers overlooked these qualities because cheap labor was the main priority, as it was throughout America (Keene). Business owners knew immigrants needed jobs; therefore, cheap labor and poor working conditions were the norm. As immigrants came to the United States, they needed any job they could find, regardless of the pay. The most common way to find a job in the 19th century was to respond to a job application and wait for employers to choose you based on your age and physical appearance. It was very difficult for women and the elderly to find employment because they were considered unsuitable for the work required. For Jurgis Rudkus in The Jungle, finding a job was no problem: Jurgis stayed outside Brown and Company's "Central Time Station" for no more than half an hour on the second day of his arrival in Chicago, before being invited by one of the bosses (Sinclair p. 19). Jurgis was selected so quickly because he was a fit young man, ready to work. Others weren't as lucky as Jurgis, and some waited in line for weeks or months. Those who were unable to find a job were often seen by others as lazy, good-for-nothings (Sinclair). Finding a job was just one of the many challenges immigrants faced upon arriving in America. Another difficulty encountered byimmigrants upon their arrival in America was the language barrier. The majority of immigrants knew little or no English. This made it very difficult to communicate with others. For this reason, immigrants were often victims of scandals, as people tried to cheat them to get more money. Additionally, once a family managed to reach their intended destination, it was very difficult to find a place to live and to know where and how to find things. Like the Rudkus, immigrants often only knew one or two words, and that was where they intended to go. Once we arrived at their location, that word no longer had any meaning. Most of the time, others continued on their way without paying the slightest attention to the new immigrants, and their helplessness was pitiful. Immigrants were afraid of people in uniform and could not turn to the law for help (Sinclair). Due to the language barrier and fear of asking for help, immigrants have had difficulty finding housing, especially affordable housing. Often, they found themselves in buildings with dozens of other families in the big city. Apartment buildings were generally five or six story buildings. Families would get 2 or 3 rooms in the building, accommodating 2 to 15 people in their rooms. Families also took turns in the rooms, while one family worked, the other slept, and both exchanged at some point during the day. These homes often led to high rates of illness and death due to the easy spread of bacteria in such narrow hallways. Water also carries disease through cities, which claimed many lives during the 19th and 20th centuries (Keene). Another option for living was to rent or buy your own house. There were often advertisements to buy houses by making payments over the year. Large families like the Jurgis family saw this as a good idea because it provided more room for everyone and would be manageable with so many people and several different incomes. But like Jurgis, families were being defrauded. Instead of buying a house, as they thought they would, they ended up renting it, making their eviction easier. If you were late on a payment, you would be kicked out immediately (Sinclair). Despite the city's appalling living conditions, rents continued to rise while demand for housing was high. This made finding an affordable home extremely difficult. Housing problems were only the beginning of immigrants' difficulties. The majority of immigration-related difficulties were caused by direct and indirect effects of employment and labor. Finding a job wasn't the only difficult part of integrating into the industrialized workforce; the conditions and requirements of the jobs themselves were too onerous for many immigrants. Each type of job had its difficult demands. The most common requirement of a job that placed a strain on the family was long work hours. The average working day was a minimum of ten hours. Long days came with low pay. During the 1900s, the average worker earned about seventeen and a half cents an hour. The average income of a laborer was about $250 to $350 per year. This income was far from enough for many families to survive, especially large families. Family expenses, including rent, fuel, food, clothing, and medical care, often amounted to more than the family income, leading to high debt (Hollitz ch. 2)..