In this chapter, Foner continues to discuss the differences between the old immigrant and the new immigrant. Putting the old immigrant and the new immigrant side by side is interesting because it makes it easier to see the similarities and differences between their experiences in America. The chapter was also very interesting because it mentioned many of the things we studied about in class. It mentioned the Lower East Side Tenement Museum as well as information Joe Salvo discussed in his talk. I was also able to relate the information Foner gave about the ethnic neighborhoods and tenements to sights we saw at the museum. For example, Foner mentioned how the segregation of ethnic neighborhoods during the past wave of immigrants was very prevalent. During the tour, it was also mentioned that as a result of this segregation, people were often less safe if they trekked into another neighborhood. In addition to this, I was able to see the condition of the tenements myself; so while reading, those images supplemented the text and gave me a greater understanding of how the immigrants lived when they first arrived. What was shocking however was that some of today’s immigrants live in even worse conditions.

What was also interesting about this chapter was that the changes in immigrant groups and the constant inward and outward migration of people from certain neighborhoods are still relevant today. This movement of people keeps the housing market thriving and helps to fill in vacancies created by whites who leave or die out from a neighborhood. These changes are visible. One neighborhood on Staten Island, near the middle of the island, has a high number of Koreans and Asians. People still move there because they know there is a bigger Asian community there.

-Wendy Li