American Immigration 19th Century

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Americans, especially during the nineteenth century, glorified the idea of Manifest Destiny, which proclaimed that they were destined by God to settle land in the West and beyond. Having this idea in mind affected the American population, and caused them to work to fulfill it. People moved in masses to the West looking for better opportunities. The concept of American Exceptionalism, stating that America is unique and greater than other nations, grew as a result of a better economy. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the United States grew extensively. This hunger for innovation and new environments resulted in inventions such as the railroad and large scale mechanized agriculture. These developments helped to bring into reality …show more content…
Unfortunately, most immigrants were not met with open arms or the opportunities they had hoped for. There are many instances of cultural conflicts, fighting for jobs, and poor living conditions specifically in the cities. These social, economic, and political issues result from Americans not accepting the cultural differences that immigrants brought with them from their homelands. The social issues that resulted from immigration to the United States arose from extreme differences between cultures. For instance, it was considered normal for Irish people to use bars as a social gathering place in their home country, but Americans labeled the Irish as being drunks instead of understanding their culture. Many new arrivals came into cities with nowhere to take shelter except for tenements. They were overcrowded, dirty, and small, which caused poor living conditions for the immigrants. Americans blamed the foreign people for their poverty, but it was a result of discrimination and not being hired for any high paying jobs. These cultural misunderstandings led to offensive stereotypes of immigrants, and a common feeling among American citizens that they did not …show more content…
This is what led to the end of the American colonies and the formation of the United States as a free country. The Monroe Doctrine had set forth the anti-colonization precedent for foreign policy for the Western Hemisphere. This directly relates to the platform of the Anti-Imperialist League, created after the Spanish-American War. The colonization of the Philippines was their main focus. They argued for the consent of the governed and the future success of America on the basis that colonization causes conflict and poor foreign relations. These were sentiments shared by many Americans before the war, but the new resources and land gained in other parts of the world caught the interest of Americans even
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