It was really interesting to read these about the different waves of immigration that came in over the years. The Italians, Chinese, Irish, etc all came to America and particularly New York because they were escaping the hardships they were facing in their respective countries. However when they got here, things weren’t perfect either. It just makes me think about how blessed we are to live in such a time where we have the convenience of every single thing. Everything we need is basically handed to us or we can have it by the click of a mouse. Nevertheless, the hardships that new immigrants went through are sometimes looked over but they are definitely significant.
In chapter 2 of Anbinder’s book she talks about how a lot of Five Pointer’s usually came with another family member. However parents would sometimes have to leave their children or other loved relatives back in their country for a period of time. As I read this I was thinking that history really does repeat itself. It might not be Italians, or the Irish immigrating to New York as much today, but I know a lot of South Asian families immigrating here and leaving their families behind just as the former did. The years have gone by and now other groups of immigrants are coming to this country. The same process happens over and over again. The mentality is the same for these people: to make money so that their family back home can benefit and even come to America for a better living. A lot of families I know today have half their families living in New York while the other half is in their native countries, waiting to be sponsored. It’s interesting to see the extent to which people go to just to come to New York City. Although, I’ve asked many new immigrants if they like New York better than their countries and at first they dearly miss their homeland but after a while (a few years) they start to forget their roots and become engulfed in the race for money and power.
Going back to Anbinder, I found it interesting to read about the Italian and Chinese immigrants. Like many of my fellow peers, I find that many former immigrants or 2nd generations were being hypocritical by denouncing immigrants from countries like Italy or China. Their families had a chance to settle and now they should let other people have the same opportunity. However, when does this “chance for equal freedom” stop? When do we start to limit the amount/types of people coming into this country or state? These questions are still being challenged and discussed in our everyday lives.
One interesting contrast I found between the Italians and Chinese immigrants was who they were bringing along with them. The Italians were mostly bringing their families along with them and in fact their families were also working with the men of the household. The role of women became crucial at this point as Italian and Irish women competed for the same types of jobs. On the other hand, Chinese men were primarily immigrating to New York. They were mostly single and actually found Italian and Irish spouses. It interesting to note the difference of (possibly) culture and family upbringing between these two groups. The young Chinese generation was more independent while a lot of Italians were coming over with families.
I agree with ToniAnn on how amazing it is that waves of immigration keep coming in even today. It will be interesting to see how, in a matter of years, the various cultures will allow America to be more diverse than it seems to be at the moment.
