Station #1 - German Immigrants Guten tag! We re the Weissbeck farming family from Germany. We came to America a few years ago. Here s how our life is going now. Most of the German immigrants who came to America were farmers. They bought farmland in the open spaces of the Midwest. They built farms in Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Their transition to life in America was not difficult. This was partly because they generally kept the same jobs they had back in Germany--farming. They also settled in small farming villages with other German-speaking people. This made the adjustment to life in America much easier. Also, because the Germans were Protestant-Christian, the main religion in America, most American citizens quickly accepted the German immigrants. Station #1 - German Immigrants A typical German family s farmhouse in Midwestern America. 1
4/5/17 Station #2 - British (English) Immigrants Good day! We are a group of British textile workers. We came to America a few years ago. Here s how our life is going now. Many British immigrants to the U.S. were skilled workers and craftsmen. They had jobs such as weavers, gunsmiths, wagon-makers, etc. These immigrants mostly settled in large cities, like New York and Boston, because that is where they could find jobs in factories or customers for their own custom shops. British immigrants probably had the easiest time adjusting to life in America. They spoke the same language as Americans, and had many similar customs. England and America were also allies and had many peace treaties between them. Station #2 - British Immigrants Skilled craftsmen from England sometimes took jobs in American factories. An advertisement for a custom wagon-making shop that a British immigrant is opening in Illinois. 2
Station #3 - Irish Immigrants Dia dhuit! We are an Irish potato farming family. We came to America a few years ago. Here s how our life is going now. Many Irish immigrants settled in New York City, and also cities in upstate New York like Albany and Buffalo. They also lived in Cleveland (Ohio) and Chicago (Illinois). By 1900, more Irish lived in New York City than in any city in Ireland, except for the capital of Dublin! Some Irish immigrants remained farmers in America. But many others took jobs on construction projects, such as building railroads. The transition to life in America was difficult for the Irish. They had a really hard time finding jobs. When they did find jobs, they usually got the lowest-paying jobs. Americans did not like the Irish because they were Catholic, spoke a different language, and were believed to be lazy and enjoy drinking too much. Station #3 - Irish Immigrants A sign you might see in shop windows during the 1800s. It was very hard for the Irish to find good jobs. When the Irish did find work, it was usually in construction--and paid very little money. 3
Station #4 - Italian Immigrants Buongiorno! I am an Italian immigrant who came looking for more money for my family. I came to America a few years ago. Here s how my life is going now. Almost all Italian immigrants took jobs in big cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago. By 1900, more Italians lived in New York City than in any city in Italy, except for the capital of Rome! Most Italians worked in construction. Many of America s railroads and skyscrapers were built by immigrants. Other jobs that Italians had included working in factories, and steel or meat-packing plants. The adjustment to life in America was difficult for Italian immigrants. They were Catholic, a religion that most Protestant- Christian Americans disagreed with. Italians also had a reputation for being hotheads, meaning that they were violent and got into fights. Station #4 - Italian Immigrants Many Italian immigrants took jobs building railroads. Other immigrants built the tall skyscraper buildings in major cities that still exist today. 4
Station #5 - Jewish Immigrants (from Russia & Poland) Do widzenia! We are Jewish immigrants coming from Poland and Russia. We came to America a few years ago. Here s how our life is going now. By 1900, more Jewish people lived in New York City than in any other city in the whole world! Most Jewish immigrants settled in New York City or surrounding cities. Jewish immigrants often worked out of their own homes, doing laundry or sewing for wealthy American families. Jewish immigrants also worked as house-cleaners, or sometimes in factories and in construction. Adjusting to life in America was difficult for Jewish immigrants. Even though they came to America for religious freedom, the immigrants still faced unfair treatment because they were Jewish. They were viewed as being sneaky and money-hoarders by American citizens. Station #5 - Jewish Immigrants Some Jewish immigrants worked in textile factories in America. Other Jewish immigrants worked out of their homes--doing laundry and sewing for richer American citizens. This is a Jewish immigrant family working in their basement. 5
Station #6 - Chinese Immigrants (Good day!) We are a Chinese immigrant family who came for a better life for us and our children. We came to America a few years ago. Here s how our life is going now. Many Chinese immigrants landed in California and stayed in cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Most Chinese immigrants were hired to build the Central Pacific Railroad, which linked California with other cities in the Western U.S. Out of all of the immigrant groups, it was probably the Chinese who had the hardest transition to living in America. Their language was the most different from English, and their religion was not anything like religions in America. The Chinese were not also white; they didn t look like the other European immigrants. They seemed extra different to Americans. Eventually a law would be passed called the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese immigrants. Station #6 - Chinese Immigrants A sign advertising for a law called the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned most Chinese immigration to the U.S. Most Chinese immigrants were railroad workers in California. 6
Station #7 - Tenement Houses While there were many differences among all of the immigrant groups who came to America, one thing that they generally had in common was their living conditions. Living conditions for most immigrants were simply dreadful. They lived in small apartments called tenements. Tenements are overcrowded and unsafe apartment buildings in big cities. Some tenement apartments were the size of a walk-in closet! Entire families would have to fit in these tiny spaces. If the tenement was slightly larger, it was likely that two or even three families would all crowd together to live in the space. Station #7 - Tenement Houses This family of 7 lives in this one-room tenement apartment in New York. 7
4/5/17 Station #7 - Tenement Houses A one-room tenement house in Chicago. Station #7 - Tenement Houses Sometimes the tenement houses would be too crowded and the heat would make people sick. In this picture, several children in a family sleep on the fire escape outside of the apartment. 8