Polish Immigration to America The American Dream is the belief that all citizens of the United States have equality, freedom, and justice. America has always been a land of immigrants who have been drawn here looking for freedom and economic opportunity. Learning about other cultures gives us a better understanding of the world, without the ethnic groups that immigrated here, we would not be able to experience new cultures in our everyday lives. One of the many groups following The American Dream are the Polish, who rank the seventh-largest ethnic group in America consisting of more than 9 million people.2 The country of Poland is located in east-central Europe and is bordered by Germany,
…show more content…
They did not have any skills or education but they were determined to make money in America. The man of the family usually came over first because they could get a jobs and earn the money to buy land when they returned home. Having land was important in Poland since it was farming was the main source of income and having a lot of land represented stability. The cities of Hamburg and Bremen, Germany were the primary ports that would take emigrants across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City. A steamboat ticket cost about $10, which was about three months of pay. The boat conditions were awful, they were kept below the decks and were treated extremely poorly. The emigrants packed lightly, they usually only bought along a suitcase that contained a blanket, letters from their loved ones, and some clothes. Previously it took the boat to about 5 weeks to two months to reach its destination, but by the 1870’s the steamboat only about 10-14 days to make it to America. Edward Steiner wrote: “Poles...are among the most industrious [hardworking] and patient passengers, or hardships are not new to …show more content…
Passengers in first or second class did not have to have a health inspection, because if they were wealthy they most likely had good health. The officials checked the passengers from third-class and steerage for diseases and if they were healthy enough to work.9 Immigrants with diseases were marked by chalk on their coats and were checked into the hospital but others were sent right back to the ports.10 The ones who made it through the inspections, met up with family members or went straight to work in their new
They did not have any skills or education but they were determined to make money in America. The man of the family usually came over first because they could get a jobs and earn the money to buy land when they returned home. Having land was important in Poland since it was farming was the main source of income and having a lot of land represented stability. The cities of Hamburg and Bremen, Germany were the primary ports that would take emigrants across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City. A steamboat ticket cost about $10, which was about three months of pay. The boat conditions were awful, they were kept below the decks and were treated extremely poorly. The emigrants packed lightly, they usually only bought along a suitcase that contained a blanket, letters from their loved ones, and some clothes. Previously it took the boat to about 5 weeks to two months to reach its destination, but by the 1870’s the steamboat only about 10-14 days to make it to America. Edward Steiner wrote: “Poles...are among the most industrious [hardworking] and patient passengers, or hardships are not new to …show more content…
Passengers in first or second class did not have to have a health inspection, because if they were wealthy they most likely had good health. The officials checked the passengers from third-class and steerage for diseases and if they were healthy enough to work.9 Immigrants with diseases were marked by chalk on their coats and were checked into the hospital but others were sent right back to the ports.10 The ones who made it through the inspections, met up with family members or went straight to work in their new