American History II

Douglas c. Face

Mid Term Exam

Immigrants often saw America as a land of opportunity. What was the reality of the opportunity for most immigrants? Did an immigrant’s ethnic background—German, Irish, Chinese, Slavic, French –Canadian—have an effect on his or her place in America, particularly in the work force?

                America has always been considered the land of opportunity, well, that is as long as you’re Caucasian, and you look like “the rest of us”. Racism and the dislike of people who are “different” has been a factor since the first non-white settlers set foot on this continent.

                It seems that the white people that settled this great nation can tolerate people that look different as long as it suits their needs. Some immigrants were treated better than others but that isn’t saying much.

                German immigrants were often treated better simply because many of the German immigrants were skilled workers. (Boyer, Clark and Kett)This made them an asset and it was easier for the English speaking citizens to tolerate them. Immigrants with fewer skills weren’t so lucky.

                The Irish weren’t treated very well because they were different. It wasn’t that they were bad people but they weren’t proper Christians. They were primarily Catholic and therefore inferior. The fact that they were dirt poor and had little to offer besides basic physical labor didn’t help their circumstances. The Irish were treated poorly but not as bad as the Chinese.

                The Chinese immigrants didn’t just talk different they looked different. Everything about them was different. We’ll not everything. They had hopes and dreams, they loved and hurt but to the English speaking Christians the Chinese were basically a lower life form. The Chinese were hard workers but they received less pay than the English speaking whites. Even when the deeds of the immigrants were great they were seldom remembered as such.

                Possibly the worst transgression against these “lower class” immigrants was that history was recorded by the English speaking whites. Over the years the skin of the cowboys seemed to lighten up quite a bit and now when we think of the wild west we think of John Wayne and other white men but the wild west has a rich history that has been swept under the rug. (Boyer, Clark and Kett)The heroes are now mostly all white and the truths have been forgotten by all but the scholars.

                America has a rich history; it was built by men and women from many fine cultures. Over the years these fine people have melted together in the great melting pot to form the alloy that today, we call Americans. America is still considered the land of opportunity but some of the old ghosts of prejudice still haunt this great land of ours.