9781422282618

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Immigrant Families

people have been travel- ing to America because it is a place where people are allowed to worship how- ever they want. In the 19th century, millions of Jews fled religious persecution in Russia and other places. The principles of religious freedom and freedom of speech are such important American values that they are written into the U.S. Constitution as worthy of special protection.

Immigrants at Ellis Island in 1904.

Other immigrants came to America for the adventure of beginning a new life. In this era, there was more mobility in the United States than anywhere else in the world. People could “move” up the social ladder, they could “move” up economi- cally, and they could literally move across the massively expanding western frontier. To people in the 19th century, America seemed a place where anything was pos- sible. That was the idea, at least. While the dream has rewarded many immigrants with success, the reality for others has not always been quite so pleasant or pretty. ANTI-IMMIGRATION ARGUMENTS There is a famous saying by an Italian immigrant (whose name has been lost): I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, I found out three things: first, the streets weren’t paved with gold; second, they weren’t paved at all; and third, I was supposed to pave them.