Anna's Journey To Germany Analysis

Anna Maria Klinger arrived in the United States in 1849. Anna came to the United States for more financial opportunity as she stated. “I am content with my wages for now, compared to Germany, I make 4 dollars a month in our money [10] guilders, if you can speak English then it’s considerably better, since the English pay a good wage, a servant gets 7 to 10 dollars a month, but if you can’t speak or understand English you can’t ask for so much pay.” (Documents 217) Anna was receiving better pay in America then what she would receive back in her homeland Germany. Anna believed that other Germans should come to America. Anna makes a comparison between the religious institutions in New York and Germany. She claims that they are similar but they

I’m certainly glad not to be over there,” (Documents 218) Germans can have a good future in America but they would find themselves in a challenge to actually get to here. The cost of voyage to America from Germany is stated to be 28 dollars by Anna. “I thought we would like to pay for him to come over, but right now we can’t since it costs 28 dollars a person” (Documents 218) The cost of the voyage would not be the only challenge one would face. Anna explains that if you do not have much in Germany then you could make a better life in America. “But I also think you would like it here since you never had anything good in Germany.” (Documents 218) Anna also explains that you would need to work once you get here to make a life. “Since in America you have to work if you want to amount to anything, you mustn’t feel ashamed, that’s just how you amount to something,” (Documents 218) Anna explains that some people will need to find a more suiting profession once you make it to

Many Irish immigrants came from a peasant and labouring class which were generally poor. Just like many German Immigrants, The Irish immigrants came from poor backgrounds with not much from their home. The Irish immigrants would receive better wages in America working than the jobs they would work back home. “Therefore, to them, the poor or the plundered Irish emigrants, the first and pressing necessity was employment; and so splendid seemed in the result of that employment, even the rudest and most laborious kind, as compared with what they were able to earn in the old country,” (Documents 219 and 220) The Irish just like the German much rather preferred the wages they were payed in America than the amount they would earn at their old countries. Maguire explains the process of how a family can immigrate to America. He explains how they would send one of the girls to find employment and they would work. The girls would be the pioneers as they would build the bridge and help send the family over. This was common also with the German immigrants. “Or the pioneer of the family-most likely a young girl-had found good employment, and, with the fruits of her honest toil, had gradually brought out brothers and sisters, father and mother, for whose companionship her heart ever yearned;” (Documents 220) Maguire believed that the Irish faced one major difficulty from allowing upward mobility. The