Reading some of the terrible experiences that the immigrants had in their homeland, it became clearer to me why they would immigrate, even to Five Points. Yes, Five Points was not a perfect place and many immigrants lived crowded together in tenements, but they had opportunities in New York that didn’t exist for them at home. The Irish, for example, were living in destitute conditions because of the potato famine and people were dying from starvation. The Italians and Chinese immigrants, from the way Anbinder describes them, came from poor areas or from areas where they were not accepted. They believed that New York was a place where they would prosper.
I agree with ToniAnn that the way the Irish treated the new immigrants was unfair. They were all aspiring for similar goals, but instead of understanding their struggles and having compassion, there was some hostility. However, I can understand why the Irish acted this way. They were afraid that the new immigrants would replace them in their jobs and neighborhood where they had already established themselves.
I also like William’s comparison between the Old and New immigrants in New York. Many of the Old immigrants were from Europe from poor areas and without education. Now, while we receive immigrants from Europe, we also get a substantial amount from areas such as the Caribbean, Asia, and the West Indies, just to name some major groups. Immigrants continue to arrive in America and New York because they hear from relatives and people from their towns about the amenities that they had obtained in New York that maybe they would not have at home. Also, according to Foner, another major reason why they come to New York because they can. Unlike the Old immigrants, who came together in boats that were in horrible conditions, or as stowaways on a cargo ship, now the New Immigrants have the ease of taking an airplane. From what I understand from both readings, immigration patterns continue to change, as well as the reasons for moving, but New York seems to be the place of interest and New York continues to receive them.
