America Was Free Living

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How Free Was “Free” Living
Through the years 1865 to 1910, America went through industrialization changing America drastically in many ways economically, politically, and socially. Immigrants like Jurgis Rudkus were not treated luxuriously like white American citizens. The way Jurgis and people like him are forced to live is miserable and should not be considered in any way as free living. People like Jurgis are not truly “free” simply because living in those kinds of unsanitary and abominable conditions should not be considered living by any means
The changes that America went through from 1865 to 1910 were the Reconstruction Era after the civil war, dividing our country, the Gilded age that was a time of the economy and population growing …show more content…

Events such as the depression of 1893 affected Jurgis and his family deeply because it wasn’t exactly easy to live in these condition before it took place causing even more strain on Americans and especially on the immigrants trying to provide for their families. During these events changing America, there are rallies and protestors and Jurgis actually mentions that he sees one beginning after being released from prison for assault on his wife’s …show more content…

As read in the previous paragraphs, in many cases people like Jurgis Rudkus work very hard and long hour in dangerous environments with very low pay. They also live in homes that are not suitable for adults let alone children, and get looked down simply because they are not white Americans. Immigrants come to the United States of American to live the “American dream.” They believe they are coming here with the ability to make money and have better living conditions than before moving and a lot of times that is not the case and what they are forced to go through is not the dream they intend on having nor the