Immigrants example essay topic

Immigration During the late 1800's and into the 1900's many people immigrated to the United States from Europe and Asia in hope of finding prosperity, and a better life than the one they were leading in their old homes. Another reason was the sudden industrialization of Europe. (The transformation from small, agriculture-based societies to manufacturing economies was so rapid and sweeping that it became known as the Industrial Revolution.) With all this occurring so quickly many people decided to come to America, but when they arrived here they didn't get what they expected. More than 12 million people immigrated through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924, the peak years of the port.

They came to America hoping to find the "promise land" but from their journey till when they first arrived in America wasn't so promising. Nearly all of the immigrants faced a terrible trip to the U.S., such as sitting in steerage, not receiving a lot of food or proper medical attention, and being crammed together in a very small area. Along with the bad conditions, the immigrants also faced many prejudices and hardships as they arrived. Upon arriving in Ellis Island, the immigrants were given a physical examination to see whether or not they were fit to live in the United States. In 1891, Congress created the INS, or Immigration and Naturalization Service to administer federal laws dealing with admission, exclusion, and deportation of aliens. The overwhelming majority of immigrants, regardless of ethnicity, were subjected to discrimination.

They were not given the same opportunities as native born Americans even if they were equally qualified for certain jobs. Ellis Island though, wasn't nearly as bad as its counterpart on the west coast, Angel Island. Generally on Ellis Island, immigrants were processed within hours or days, but on Angel Island it took weeks or even months. It soon turned into a detention center and because of its proximity towards Asia it consisted mostly of Asians, predominantly of Chinese descent.

Many laws and acts were passed over the course of several years when the immigrants started filtering in more and more in order to limit the amount of people that came from various countries. Quotas were set for the number of people coming to the U.S. from a certain country and a quota was set for the total number of people that entered America. People were scared for their jobs and didn't want any more people here to take over the land. The newly arrived immigrants were discriminated against and not well liked inside and outside of the workplace. Often times, the same ethnic groups moved together into small areas of cities called ghettos. Ghettos are a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressures.

This is something which minorities still face in today's society as well. Although the number of people who migrate to the United States has decreased since the early 1900's, the discrimination still exists. Even though racism isn't as large an issue as it once was, there are still many cases in which the society is divided based on race. The recent police brutalities and killings are examples of what some believe are racism or racial profiling. Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker was also quoted as making racial remarks in an interview with a writer from Sports Illustrated. Along with all the sensitivity towards racism comes the question that asks whether it is equal rights or special rights.

Many feel strongly about the subject and society still continues to grapple with the topic of racial discrimination and prejudice. Where as about a hundred years ago nearly everyone was full of hatred towards immigrants who came here and spoke about it with no remorse. The idea of making racial statements in public is becoming more and more a taboo thing to do.