Essay On American Immigration

Words: 773
Pages: 4

I strongly think that immigration effected immigrants and other Americans in different ways around the year of 1900. Immigrants traveled to America in hope of finding job opportunities, homes, and freedom. Immigrants faced various challenges trying to assimilate a new way of life. One of these challenges was discrimination. Some Americans opposed immigration, as they thought it contributed to social problems. Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor, was the gateway to America for millions of immigrants, between 1892 and 1954. When a ship arrived in New York City, it would usually dock at a pier along the Hudson River or East River. Immigrants were ferried directly from the pier to Ellis Island. There, immigrants were processed through the …show more content…
Mary Antin is an example of an immigrant who fulfilled her hopes and dreams. She was born in Russia and came to American when she was thirteen years old. She came to meet her father who had gone to America in advance to prepare a place for his family. Her family settled in Boston, Massachusetts. Mary Antin became a highly educated writer and campaigned against legislation restricting immigration. She says, “In America, then, everything was free, as we had heard in Russia.” “American opportunity, the treasure that no thief could touch, not even misfortune or poverty.” (Antin, The Promised Land, 1912)Mary Antin had a life full of promise and hope. In conclusion, immigration affected immigrants and other Americans in a different way. Some immigrants were successful in fulfilling their hopes and dreams, while others were discouraged by discrimination and harsh immigration restriction laws. In my opinion, immigration had both positive and negative effects around the year 1900. Immigration was a positive thing for immigrants. It gave them hope for living in a land of freedom and opportunity and luckily some were able to fulfill these dreams. Unfortunately, Nativist made it hard for other immigrants to settle and achieve their hope of gaining wealth and