From its earliest days, U.S has been a country of immigrants starting from the Spanish and French men who began establishing their settlements in what would later become a great nation. When reflecting on the historical perspective of immigration in the 18th and 19th centuries, some issues remain relevant. Modern American communities learn of their origin and culture, through the immigration history. Most people migrated to America to help settle their fears, hopes, and expectations based on what they had heard about the country. Majority of these individuals were from European nations, Asia, and some parts of Africa. Economically, life in the U.S was much better as compared to these nations; hence most people came seeking the economic opportunities.
Negative Experiences
The most significant part of the immigrant experience covers the struggles they had while trying to make ends meet. On arrival, most of them secured some jobs in the farms and in the industries where oppression was part of daily experience. The availability of labor depended on labor mobility hence it was apparent to lose a job anytime. The working conditions were also unfavorable with most people being forced to work for more extended hours than usual. Children and women were also subjected to hard tasks such as working on the processor machines (Norris, 2017). The division of labor was as a result of poor wages for the male breadwinners hence every family member had to work to supplement on the income level.
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Workers were mainly defined by differences in gender, age, and race. Despite the low income, the immigrants could not go back to their countries because what they earned was higher than what they could have made while in their native homes. Due to the tight budgets, the living conditions for the majority of these immigrants were unfavorable with problems ranging from inadequate housing to lack of education. Consequently, there were vast gaps in wealth and income among the immigrants and the native Americans leading to increased cases of oppression.
As in so many other urban communities of the era, the spread of infectious disease was high accounting to more than thirty percent of the deaths among the immigrants. The increased demand for cheap housing lead to poorly built homes and unobserved hygienic conditions making the infectious diseases a real threat. As industrialization led to the growth of new cities and urban areas, those in rural areas moved to the metropolitan regions hence overcrowding.
Positive Experiences
There was more to poor working conditions and harassment for the immigrants. The individuals took advantage of the city enormous services such as recreational facilities and variety of the leisure outlets that the country could offer. Examples include saloons, baseball, gymnastics, and parks. These services offered the immigrants opportunities to enjoy life with those going back to their countries implementing the knowledge in their native homes.
Additionally, there was the aspect of socialization where different communities met and shared their opinions and beliefs to form the current African-American culture. It is through this new society that people united to form labor unions that fought for equal rights among all individuals and the elimination of harsh immigration conditions (Alba & Foner, 2014). Similarly, the movements worked towards fair pay, reduced working hours and division of labor in line with gender where women and children could work on the less tiresome jobs.
Conclusion
The immigrant experience in the 18th and 19th centuries constitutes both positive and negative aspects. Nevertheless, life for most immigrants improved by early 20th century where the majority were able to move from the slums and live in the middle-class areas. Today, a vibrant mixture of the Americanized working classes can be found in most regions of the country with politics solving the distinctions between them and the native Americans.
References
Alba, R., & Foner, N. (2014). Comparing immigrant integration in North America and Western Europe: How much do the grand narratives tell us?. International Migration Review , 48 , S263-S291.
Norris, J. D. (2017). Advertising and the transformation of American society, 1865-1920 (Vol. 110). Greenwood Pub Group.
