Immigrant Living Conditions
There are more foreign-born residents in the United States than ever
before and while many worry about how the country will absorb all these newcomers, others remember the previous waves of immigrants, who despite often harsh living conditions, successfully assimilated (Miller Pp).
Immigrants came to America with aspirations that their lives would change dramatically for the better, believing that they would be entitled to steady work and pay, abundance of food and improved housing, and own their own land (Millemaci Pp). The majority who had left their homelands to escape the severe and deteriorating economic conditions or political persecutions did not realize the travesties that lay ahead of them (Millemaci Pp). Many factors hampered their adjustment such as differences in religious belief, language barrier, customs and traditions, discrimination, labor abuses, numerous health problems and deplorable living conditions (Millemaci Pp).
The more professional male worker, such as the barber, tailor and shoemaker, had an especially difficult problem due to lack of language skills and adherence to Old World customs (Millemaci Pp). The infrequent availability of work put a tremendous strain on the immigrant...
This became a difficulty for the male immigrant, because he, as the breadwinner, was now forced to stay at home and care for the children, and to most male immigrants this was a form of dishonor and shame (Millemaci Pp). Moreover, labor abuses, long hours and low wages caused great hardships, and furthermore, many immigrants were forced to work in severe weather conditions and live in unsanitary labor camps, usually sleeping on cold, damp floors of run-down shacks or railroad cars (Millemaci Pp).
Overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions contributed to numerous health problems, as most lived in unused storage areas and run-down buildings (Millemaci Pp). These dwellings lacked warmth in the winter and proper ventilation in the summer, and were often small in size and often entire families lived in just one room (Millemaci Pp).
Many women immigrated to the United States alone and a large number found work as domestic servants, usually live-in servants that enable them to save enough money to pay for a dowry, help their families back home or simply try to enjoy their new life (Living Pp). Other immigrant women found work as…
