Immigration is the action in which people take as they move from their native or original country to go and live in another country permanently. People move internationally to foreign countries and say there until they attain the citizenship of a particular country. This paper outlines and answers the questions immigrants are commonly asked by the historians.
Why Leave Home?
Disaster
While migrating, most of the immigrants leave their homes due to many circumstances that might be unavoidable. When asked, some of the immigrants say they moved to the country due to a disaster. Disaster is an occurrence that occurs suddenly for a short or long period, and it leads to widespread environmental, economic, human, and material loss, which surpasses the capability of the affected people or community to handle using its resources. Most of the immigrants in New York came from Ireland and Germany. For example, these immigrants moved to New York due to the Potato disaster that took place between 1845 and the early 1850s. Many Germans who suffered a severe winter and attacked by the French forces also migrated. The winter was a natural disaster, while humans caused the attack, and this was beyond the Germans to handle both with the resources they had; hence they had to move.
Decline
People migrate when they are declined in their community or society. This happens when people from other communities come to your town to start offering services and labor at low prices, and hence you become neglected while the foreigners are accepted. For example, if some Germans used to work in industries but demanded a high salary. During the era of the industrial revolution, people went to Germany. They started offering cheap labor and hence forcing the Germans to migrate to New York because they became unemployed in their own country. Most of these immigrants settled down near the ports since there were available jobs there.
Why Come to New York City?
Since a long time ago, New York City has been seen as a good entry point for immigrants entering the United States. Some of the immigrants moved to New York because they were informed there was freedom, and they would not be forced to choose a political party or religion, which is not of their choice. In New York, they would be offered personal freedom with no oppression. Also, there were rumors that New York had a better and more developed economy; hence there was more provision of jobs. Immigrants believed if they moved to New York City, they would be offered better jobs with a higher salary. In the 1880s and 1920s, there was a massive new wave of immigration from the Irish and Germany, and also some Europeans to New York City, and they were coming to search for religious freedom and in search of jobs. By the year 1847, around 50,000 Irish had settled in New York and started working. Although this led to tension in New York and some of the immigrants were forced to go and work in a poor environment. Some of the Indians who had migrated to New York moved to Caughnawaga, where they practiced their religion. Pastors in this neighborhood had even appointed deacons, and the immigrants were allowed to join the religion of their choice.
How Did Immigrants Get to New York City?
Most of the immigrants moving to New York traveled through the use of water. They boarded a sailing vessel from the European port because it was the most common method of transportation before the occurrence of civil war. This was a difficult task because the immigrants could not arrive at a specific port they had planned. After all, sometimes, the vessel would be blown off the course by the wind hence changing their direction. The travelers would travel in small groups because there were no ships to carry a large number of crowds at once, and the journey would take about six weeks due to the difficulties they experienced while in the sea. After the civil war, there was an industrial revolution, technology became a bit better, and people started to travel by the use of steamships. The steamships were upgraded, and there was 1st class, 2nd class, and 3rd class. The prices in these different classes were different, and also their comfortability was different.
Where did Immigrants settle in New York City?
In the year 1892, a new immigration center was opened at Ellis Island by the federal government. This made most of the immigrants settle new ports, but most of them also found their way in the inland. Others settled in Manhattan and North Gowanus in the 1920s.
What Work did Immigrants do?
Before the number of immigrants increased, the immigrants were provided with better working conditions. After1900s, the immigrants were sent to construct the Flatiron building, building bridges, digging subways, and tunnels where cables for street lights would be laid. An Alien contract labor law was passed in 1885, and immigrants were offered many jobs than the Americans. This made my Americans left unemployed.
How did Immigrants Fare in the Long Run?
Life was not all that easy for the immigrants as they thought it would be. Even though the victims of the potato famine were offered quick needs and advice for employment, life continued to become harder for them as the years progressed. This is because they thought they would become citizens of America through Assimilation, but that was only an idea. Despite that, the immigrants would not be chased way because they brought long-term benefits to the New York economy.
