14th Street in Manhattan, between 1860(?) and 1925 Small Town America, 1850-1920

Immigrants entered the United States through several ports. Those from Europe generally came through East Coast facilities, while those from Asia generally entered through West Coast centers. More than 70 percent of all immigrants, however, entered through New York City, which came to be known as the "Golden Door." Throughout the late 1800s, most immigrants arriving in New York entered at the Castle Garden depot near the tip of Manhattan. In 1892, the federal government opened a new immigration processing center on Ellis Island in New York harbor.

Although immigrants often settled near ports of entry, a large number did find their way inland. Many states, especially those with sparse populations, actively sought to attract immigrants by offering jobs or land for farming. Many immigrants wanted to move to communities established by previous settlers from their homelands.

Once settled, immigrants looked for work. There were never enough jobs, and employers often took advantage of the immigrants. Men were generally paid less than other workers, and women less than men. Social tensions were also part of the immigrant experience. Often stereotyped and discriminated against, many immigrants suffered verbal and physical abuse because they were "different." While large-scale immigration created many social tensions, it also produced a new vitality in the cities and states in which the immigrants settled. The newcomers helped transform American society and culture, demonstrating that diversity, as well as unity, is a source of national strength.

To find other documents in American Memory relating to this topic, use such key words as immigration or immigrants, or include the names of specific immigrant or ethnic groups (e.g., German, Irish, Scandinavian, Swedish or Norwegian).
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• Chinese vs. Negroes as American Citizens

• First Land

• French Canadian Textile Worker

• German Immigrants in Texas

• Home, Home on the Plains (North Dakota)

• Minnesota as it is in 1870

• Recollections of a Norwegian Immigrant