The Paper 71813

Page 1

Volume 43- No. 29

July 18, 2013

Background: View of a typical ship deck bringing immigrants to the port of New York. Upper Right: Modern day immigrants taking their citizenship pledges.

by Dan A. D’Amelio

Between 1880-1924, more than twelve million people came to America in the greatest migration in history. They came from Sweden, Russia, Scotland, Austria, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Romania, Denmark, Lithuania, Wales, Finland, Armenia, Germany, Poland, Norway, France, Hungary, Spain, and Czechoslovakia.

From each of these countries, they came in large numbers. In 1901, the mayor of an The Paper - 760.747.7119

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Italian town said to the visiting prime minister of Italy, “I greet you in the name of eight thousand fellow citizens, three thousand of whom are in America, and the other five thousand preparing to follow them.”

Most of that immigration came from southern and eastern Europe, and there were many others in that area who wanted to leave but lacked the means. The price of ship tickets varied, depending on the port of departure, but in 1915, the height of the exodus, the average cost of third class (what earlier had been

called steerage) was $39; for second class, $58; and for first class, $107. For many, it took years to earn such sums.

For all those who were prepared to come here, there was an ocean to cross. Most of the immigrants had never gone beyond the confines of their village, and for them the ocean was an immense, alien force.

The Atlantic voyage took about two weeks. The living quarters of first and second class passengers were in cabins on the top deck, while

third class passengers were below the water line in compartments that resembled cargo holds, each compartment jammed with more than two hundred people. There was no ventilation, and many were sea-sick for the entire voyage.

Those physically well enough went up on deck where they saw first and second class passengers on the upper decks waving and smiling at the third class children, tossing them coins, candy, apples, oranges and bananas— bananas, many immigrants

“The Greatest Migration in History” Continued on Page 2


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