In the late 1800s to the early 1900s, many immigrants came on boats from Europe, but some came from Asia and South America. Often the ships were crowded. According to Frank Kozlowski, who immigrated from Poland in 1915, “It was like a chicken coop; we all slept in this one little compartment, all wired up.” But, ever after their journey to America was over, they still faced challenges. For example, immigrants had to take literacy tests, which tested their ability to read and write in English, which many of them didn’t know. Plus, they had to face the extensive, and sometimes painful, Ellis Island health tests. Also, many of them faced prejudice. For example, the Chinese, when they came from Asia, didn’t have many job opportunities, they could only work as household servants, or run a laundry. Finally, many immigrants had to live in tenements, where many families were packed into one building, which most often didn’t have any lights or plumbing.
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They were motivated by two things, push factors and pull factors. A push factor is something that forces an immigrant out of their home country, such as war, famine, disease, or oppression. A pull factor is something that attracts an immigrant, such as freedom or
They were motivated by two things, push factors and pull factors. A push factor is something that forces an immigrant out of their home country, such as war, famine, disease, or oppression. A pull factor is something that attracts an immigrant, such as freedom or