The American melting pot

The people who left their homelands and came to America all had one thing in common: the hope for a new life and prosperity. Many were escaping unemployment, poor housing, overpopulation and harsh weather conditions. The only people who did not share the dream of a better life were the blacks who where brought over as slaves to work in the cotton fields of the South. They could be bought and sold whenever their masters wanted. They had no right to own property, to associate with white people or sometimes even to stay together as a family. If they tried to escape, they were severely punished or even killed.

Life for the other communities was also difficult. Families had often sold all their possessions to afford the passage over to America, and so they had less money than when they left their homes. Many immigrants were accepted with little knowledge of English, and so the only thing they could do was physical work. For children and younger adults, learning English was a priority so that they could communicate with other people outside their own community. For older people, it was less important, as they spent more time in the home and with others who spoke their language. Competition for jobs was fierce and some professionals were forced to accept jobs for which they were over-qualified.

Ellis Island is of particular significance in the modern history of the United States. It lies off the coast of New York City and from 1892 to 1924, twelve million immigrants landed here and were questioned before being allowed to stay in the US. To the immigrants, it was the "Isle of Tears", where they were treated like animals, separated from their family and friends, physically examined and sometimes deported back to their homelands. Today, the main building has been restored and converted into the American Museum of Immigration in the memory of all those people who helped build modern America.