Between the 1880s and the 1940s, millions of immigrants from around the world flooded the United States with fantasies of a free land. The hopes bursting in the hearts of these immigrants were expressed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The United States promised welcoming arms, but fooled the hopeful immigrants into thinking the United States held the fantasy of their ideal land. As the immigrants first entered the United States, their eyes saw the Statue of Liberty greeting them. When the time in America lengthened and various hardships sprung their way, the immigrants stood completely deceived of the promise granted on the Statue of Liberty. The words, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” …show more content…
As the refugees fled their home countries, they strived through the agony of the journey to become an American. During the boat ride to America, the deprived immigrants sat in steerage. The smell of human odor and waste struck the immigrants as well as spoiled food. Throughout the years, the immigration station, Ellis Island, was nicknamed the “Island of Tears” due to the hardships faced there. Every year more than 120,000 people were sent back home from Ellis Island. The immigrants faced interrogations; if they didn’t pass the questions, they were sent home even if the action separated the family. Immigrant Oscar Handlin stated, “In times of shrinking expectations... everyone feels like a victim and pushes away outsiders to defend his own corner.” After the complications of entering the United States, many immigrants with weakened dreams struggled. On the other side of the country, Angel Island petrified the Asian immigrants. Angel Island treated the immigrants as prisoners. Since the immigrants were put through such difficulty, it was hard to live up to the poem on the Statue of Liberty. In order for the poem to be completely true, the treatment of the immigrants needed to be enhanced. Although America offered opportunities and a new, free land for those allowed in, more than 20% were detained for various weeks as others were sent back after the perilous journey everyone encountered. After sailing the …show more content…
When entering a new country, the chances of becoming wealthy are very slim in the beginning. For this reason, new Americans from all around the world shared tenement buildings with people from the same country. The crowded, rundown, cheap and small buildings had no privacy and lacked comfortable living conditions. Each new group of immigrants to relocate in America faced their own type of prejudice and discrimination leading to despair. A little less than 50% of Italians left America within the first year. The poor and uneducated Italians gathered a stereotype of being criminals. The Americans looked down at the Italians and removed them from their everyday lives. Between 1881 and 1924, 2.4 million Jews immigrated to the United States. Even though the Jews were fleeing religious persecution and pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe, the refuge they hoped to find in America was very slim. The costly education led to illiterate Jews. The Jewish faced discrimination with schools, clubs, and job offerings. In fact, many ads stated, “Christians only,” and the jobs that were offered paid less than others. The Chinese immigrants suffered severe discrimination. The Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 denied the right for the Chinese immigrants to become citizens and banned Chinese laborers from immigrating into America. Chinese immigrants were no longer able to find jobs in and out