American History

Immigration can be termed as the act of moving to a foreign country to live there. It is closely related to and often confused with emigration which can be defined as the act of a person leaving is country to settle in a different country. The causes of immigration are vast and varied. They may range from war and diseases to the search for a greener pasture. The immigrants who leave their countries for fear of persecution, epidemics, war, famine or other disasters are often referred to as refugees. It is often difficult to adapt to the different conditions experienced in different countries but many people have been demonstrated to have involved themselves in immigration. There are periods that have been cited for having great numbers of immigration. Key among these periods is the beginning of the nineteenth century when there was the Great Depression, and people were forced to live their home countries in search of greener pastures. The great Depression occurred in 1930 and it was characterized by difficult economic conditions. During that period, more than sixty million people immigrated, most of them immigrating to the US. While some immigrants stay in the new countries for sometimes then later return to their native countries, others choose to settle in their new countries.

When the immigrants first reach their destinations, they tend to cluster with the people from their communities and continue to uphold their customs, thus neglecting the cultures, values as well as the language of their new country. After some time, they assimilate and adopt new cultures. They are often granted with the citizenship of the new country and as such participate in politics and other democratic activities. The United States has been credited with being the chief recipient of immigrants as well as refugees. This is because of the vastness of its land and the perception with which it has often been associated with. The natives of the new countries do not often accept the refugees in good faith due to the threat they immigrants often pose to their wellbeing. In the context of this paper I am going to limit myself on the immigration that took place in the United States in the twentieth century citing specific examples. Immigration in the United States can be classified into four main epochs. These are colonial period, mid-nineteenth century, early twentieth century as well as post-1965. In each epoch distinct groups consisting of ethnicities as well as races entered the United States.

Immigration in the Early 20th Century
In the course of the late nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century most immigrants who went to the United States supposedly had prosperous lives. Immigration to the US was thus associated with prosperity and the people were deemed to be having better lives than they initially did. Because of the potential threat the immigrants posed to the Native Americans, there were a number of actions that were taken to limit the increase in the number of immigrants in the United States. Key among these actions being the Chinese Exclusion Act. Later in the course of the twentieth century, the initial immigration laws were repealed and it was now increasingly easier for the immigrants to move into the US. Citizenship was not just gained out rightly instead, there were a number of investigations that had to be performed on an individual to ensure that they deserved to be granted citizenship. In the beginning of the twentieth century, most of the immigrants who moved into the United States were from the Eastern as well as the Southern Europe.

Reason for immigration in the early 20th century
Immigration was reportedly higher in the beginning of the twentieth century than had been prior to this period. People moved from their countries of origin in search of jobs. The US was seen as the place where money could be easily earned. Each of the immigrants had the ambition of securing better lives for themselves and their families. They were pushed by the conditions economic conditions in their native countries which had considerably deteriorated. The other significant factor was the lenient immigration laws of the United States which favored some ethnic groups as compared to the others. The most cited reason that fueled immigration during this period was economic. During this period, the economies of Asia, Europe as well as the Western hemisphere that their natives lacked jobs. This lack of jobs and the desire to amass wealth pushed the immigrants into American territory. America held employment prospects as well as money and this was a very appealing reason in the eyes of the immigrants to leave their native countries to settle in America where they could achieve their ambitions of living better lives. During that time America was reported to be paying up to four times the salaries and wages paid by other countries for the same job.

American law is also deemed to have enticed the immigration which took place at the beginning of the twentieth century. Government restrictions determined the people who qualified to move into America. An example being the Chinese Exclusion Act, barred Chinese immigrants from being offered natural citizenship. This meant that other potential immigrants felt that they would get more opportunities. Propagandas are also said to have led to the influx of immigrants during this period. The immigrants were misled to perceive America as a promised for the poor since during those times, peasants were denied land. The immigrants were thus able to own land, although, their lands were in the ghettos which are characterized with poor living conditions.

Perception of the Native Americans concerning Immigrants
Native Americans did not like immigrant due to the fact that the immigrants were taking a greater share of the available jobs. They were the most preferred people as far as labor was concerned because of their comparatively cheaper labor. Another reason that created great animosity between the natives and the immigrants was the fact that they were assimilated American culture. It is disturbing to see some people adopt your culture and tend to practice it or demonstrate their perfection better than the original people. They associated the immigrants with an increase in crime that was being experienced in the US at the time. They were being threatened by the influx of the immigrants. Their livelihoods and cultures were at a threat. Since they were given the powers to participate in democratic practices, their increasing numbers would increase their abilities to make significant contributions to such practices and thus diminish the voices of the Native Americans. The discontent grew to an extent that the US government had to address the issue of immigrants. The natives even turned upon the immigrants and in some occasions killing them.

How immigrants adapted
Immigrants are often faced with a number of challenges, key among them being the fact that they have to contend with being in a new country with limited finances, not being supported by the native citizens, no jobs, prejudice from security officers as well as other citizens, encountering people of different cultures, among other challenges. Many immigrants have succumbed to some of these challenges with some choosing to move back to their countries of origin. They often feel unwanted and looked down upon. For an immigrant to adapt, he needs to have certain individual characteristics. During the beginning of the twentieth century, immigrants were required to be persistent. Without this quality, an immigrant would never be able to withstand the level of aggression which was being directed at them. They leave their families behind to be alone among different people. Due to the inconsistency that characterizes their living conditions, they have been labeled as being very reliable laborers who can give their best for a very low pay.

The Immigration of the Chinese to California
There has been no historic document that explains the manner ion which the Chinese went to California with some people claiming that Chinese explorers had sailed there in the context of history. The earliest documented contact that occurred between California and China was in 1815 when American and European traders bought fur pelts from North America and sold them in China. Very few Chinese traders were involved in this trade. The Chinese did not establish themselves in China. The Chinese did not encourage external influence, the most notable example being the Ching Dynasty which forbade its members from establishing contacts with external people. The Chinese were not allowed to leave their country unless they were allowed by the emperor in which case there were conditions which had to be met and rules to be followed in the course of such external tours.

The Chinese are documented to have arrived in California in considerable numbers in mid-nineteenth century. During this period, gold had been discovered in Californias American river. This discovery was relayed to the Chinese by ships which were involved in trade. It also happened that during this time, Ching dynasty was reportedly declining. China had been ravaged by a series of famines and floods. Tai Ping Rebellion was imminent at the time and traveling to China was legally abhorred. Quick riches and the incessant poverty forced some Chinese to leave their country to California. The few who went informed the others about the existence of the gold mountain. This made a number of Chinese move to California. The Chinese who went for gold were mostly male in their teens or in their early twenties. They were very conservative and resisted assimilation since they wanted to go back to China after amassing wealth. They protected their traditions, clothing, food, language and generally their custom. They valued the company of fellow Chinese and this led to the establishment of Chinese settlements in mines, towns as well as in cities. The most notable among such communities and significantly the largest was Chinatown which existed in San Francisco.

Chinese immigrants practiced Taoism as their main religion. Their deity was Kuan Kung. Chinese immigrants found their strength in Taoist temples. They did not worship in groups but rather did it individually. They offered incense to show their respect for their departed colleagues. The temples also doubled as lodges for long distance travelers. White immigrants were offered naturalization rights with regards to the US constitution. The constitution only recognized the whites and the blacks with the Chinese not being considered. While some Chinese immigrants managed to be naturalized most of them were not able to. They lacked a place in the constitution. This was a clear act of discrimination since without citizenship they were not allowed to participate in voting, they could not secure state employment they could not also hold government offices. They could neither file mining claims nor own land. They had no powers to influence their future. Their continued survival was determined by their maintenance of low profile avoiding any direct confrontation with the white and refraining from any acts which could be perceived to be forms of direct competition. The Chinese worked hard and they did this in groups and thus they were able to be more successful than the whites who worked in limited groups or alone. They contributed a lot to the running of the American economy but their fates had to be determined by the others.

The Chinese immigrants are credited with making significant contribution in the course of their stay in America. Ailanthus tree which originated in China seem to be doing well in China, they planted them as a herbal remedy which could relieve them of arthritis. Chinese medicine was not regulated by the American government and thus they acted as a source of pain relief to sick since western medicine was still in the course of advancement and development. The Chinese had demonstrated a great deal of interest in gold mining and at a particular time and foreign miners were taxed an extra amount. While this law was primarily meant to apply to all the foreigners, it was noted that it was firmly implemented in the context of the Chinese and the Mexican miners. Chinese immigrants built roads in the mining districts. They are also credited with building stone walls all over California. The Chinese were recognized for their competence in swamp reclamation activities. The Chinese are also credited with their significant participation in the fishing and the agricultural industries.

The Immigration of the Jews to Chicago
Jews went to Chicago from various European countries as well as Middle East. Most of them however, came from Eastern Europe and Germany. Unlike the Chinese who went to the US with the aim of returning to their native countries, the Jews left their native countries with the ambition of finding permanent residence in the United States. They had been pushed to live their original countries by discrimination, poverty and even cases of massacres. The Chinese went to America in search of jobs and money while the Jews were basically running for their lives. Jews had started moving into Chicago in 1833, following its incorporation. Permanent Jewish settlers were documented to have arrived in Chicago at around 1841. Most of them were from Germany. They started as street vendors and they progressed to opening stores in downtown area. They later came to be associated with several large companies despite their humble beginnings. The first synagogue that was established in Chicago was established in 1847, and was known as Kehilath Anshe Mayriv (KAM). Some Polish Jews were discontented and broke off from KAM and established the second, Kehilath Bnai Sholom, which was more Orthodox.

The Jews had become stable enough and most of them vacated their downtown residences for lakefront communities which were more fashionable. They were able to establish their own institutions which ranged from hospitals to social clubs. Jews from Eastern Europe begin arriving in 1870s, and they continued to become the most dominant Jewish group by early twentieth century. They had their own kind of outdoor markets which were bazaar-like. They involved themselves in peddling, merchants and other activities which required them to establish organizations to fight for their rights. Jews from Eastern Europe differed with their counterparts from German in terms of culture and they had distinct institutions. The increase in prosperity which came as a result of the Second World War ensured that Jews could adequately sustain their livelihoods. The Jews experienced housing discrimination. Their cultures remain threatened. They have comparatively been more assimilated as compared to the Chinese. The Jews have managed to safeguard their interests and establish themselves in Chicago.

Conclusions
Immigration into the United States had basically been as a result of the search for better livelihoods. The US had been perceived to be a land where people could acquire wealth quickly. The Chinese immigrated into US in search of wealth but they had the intention of turning back to their country of origin after amassing enough wealth. They were very conservative as far as their culture was concerned and did not agree to assimilation. The Jews on the other hand went to the United States mainly as a result of the threats top their lives. They were being killed and discriminated in their original countries. They left these countries with no intention of returning. The Native Americans viewed the immigrants as a potential threat to them as they took jobs and increased insecurity. In some occasions, the natives chose to directly attack the immigrants to demonstrate their dissatisfaction to the authorities.