Early Mexican Immigrants example essay topic

The purpose of my paper is to describe the migration of the Mexican people to Chicago, with respect to Mexican immigration, their daily lives, and their contribution to the city of Chicago, and the United States. During the 1910's through the 1990's, many Mexicans have migrated from their native land in search of a better life in America because of a growing poverty in Mexico. Many of them have moved north to Chicago where they could easily find cheap labor jobs in factories and railroads. Over the years the number of Mexican immigrants moving to Chicago have increased, making them a large part of the city. Today's Mexican Americans along with many other different cultures have contributed to Chicago by making it a diverse city where people of all walks of life have been able to call this place home.

After the Mexican Revolution of (1910-17), the economy of Mexico was in a downfall. Those who felt the blow of the aftermath were mainly the Mexican commoners. So while poverty grew in Mexico and the Industrial Revolution thrived in America, many factory owners were in need of cheap labor workers. So during the 1910's through the present day, many Mexicans moved from Mexico north to Chicago's south side in search of labor, where just about every factory and steel mill would welcome them with arms wide open. They came here in search of a better life for their family. They wanted their children to have an education so they could advance in theirs, and the future generation's own lives.

Though their main dream was to earn enough money here, so they could return to live in Mexico. But that dream did not come true for many of these immigrants, so they had no other choice but to reside in Chicago. During the Industrial Revolution, Chicago was a major city that harbored many steel mills, factories and railroads along Chicago's south side. Many factory owners would not pay a decent amount of money for the dangerous work needed, so they took advantage of the many immigrants that were flocking to Chicago. Even though the workers were not paid nearly as much as they should have been, they remained there because they had no other place to turn to for refuge. This in turn resulted in ghettos or barrios in the inner city.

Poverty became a harsh reality in many south side Mexican neighborhoods. Many children were malnourished, and living conditions were extremely dreadful. But through the struggle life had to go on. A way to cope with life that many immigrants found was to bring in their own culture into their daily lives. This simple act made life a lot easier to cope with for many immigrants who had to live through this time period. As the steel mills and factories that once made up Chicago's booming south side slowly began to disappear, so did the many immigrants that were once the backbone of the Industrial Revolution.

But only to re merge in today's American culture. Since the population of the Mexican immigrants increased even after the decline of labor work, they would then play a large role in the city of Chicago. Not only in Chicago, but also in the United States all together. While the early Mexican immigrants slowly began to die away, their later generations that were American citizens found a place in the American way of life.

Today we have the Latin Grammy's we have Spanish television, and we have Hispanic entertainers who are shining bright in the limelight. We have adapted to other cultures that make up Chicago's diverse communities. But most importantly, as many other different cultures in Chicago we have all contributed to the foundation of this diverse city. Like many other immigrants that once came to this country, Mexicans have held on to their values, heritage, people, and culture. Something that all these people have in common is their struggle, and their dream to one day become successful.

Even today that dream has not changed, though the way in which we approach our goal is different. Since colonial times, had not these people wanted to come to this place in search of a better life? During the early 20th century, had not the European immigrants come in search of a better life? Just like all other immigrants, Mexicans have had to look for their better life here in America. Because of immigrants the United States of America was founded, so even through today, immigrants are continuing to add more and more support to this country that so many call home. After all isn't this the land of opportunity?