Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1870-1920 (Daily Life Through History Series)

by June Granatir Alexander

Overview

The second wave of US immigration—from 1870 to 1920—brought over twenty-six million men, women, and children onto American shores. This in-depth study of the period underscores the diversity of peoples who came to the U.S. and highlights the significant shifts in geographic origins—from northern and western Europe to southern and eastern Europe—that occurred in the late nineteenth century and led to distinguishing between old and new immigrants. Thematic chapters provide an overview of the daily lives of these migrants, including distribution and settlement patterns, individual and family migrations, and permanent and temporary residency. Also discussed are demographics and characteristics of each ethnic group, as well as pressures to Americanize and other facets of adjusting to a new country and culture. An ideal source for students of American history and culture, this comprehensive work features over 40 engaging photos, a glossary of key terms, a chronology of events, and an extensive print and nonprint bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313335624
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/30/2007
Series:	Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series: Daily Life in the United States Series
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.69(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

JUNE GRANATIR ALEXANDER is on the faculty of the Russian and East European Studies Program at the University of Cincinnati. She is the author of Ethnic Pride, American Patriotism: Slovaks and other New Immigrants in the Interwar Era (2004) and The Immigrant Church and Community: Pittsburgh's Slovak Catholics and Lutherans, 1880-1915.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Chronology ix

Introduction: Getting a Perspective on Immigrant Daily Life 3

1 Immigration 1870 to 1920: A Historical Overview 11

2 Life on the Land: Immigrants in the American West 50

3 Life on the Job: Immigrants in the Industrial Workplace 97

4 Life in Urban America: Migrants and Immigrant Families 150

5 Life in Ethnic Communities: Immigrant Institutions and Businesses 189

6 Life in a Hostile World: Immigrants in World War I America 241

Notes 291

Glossary 295

For Further Reading 299

Index 315

What People are Saying About This

Roger Daniels

"Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1870-1920 is an ideal introduction to immigrant life during the crucial time when the United States changed from a predominantly rural nation to one with an urban majority which worked largely in industrial and commercial pursuits. Ms. Alexander tells her story by focusing on the lives of a wide variety of individuals, mostly from Europe but including some from Asia and the Western Hemisphere. Individual chapters provide a general overview of the period, a look at immigrant farmers in the west, the experience of factory workers, family life, ethnic communities, and the particular difficulties of many immigrants in wartime America. The author writes well and provides a number of student-friendly features: meaningful illustrations, a useful chronology, a glossary, and a structured reading list, divided general histories, personal documents, biographies and novels, works on immigrant groups, and a guide to relevant websites and media."

John Bukowczyk

"Alexander's richly detailed description of immigrant life on the farm and in the factory, in their shops and their homes creates a sympathetic understanding of the 'lives of ordinary people' and the rigors and challenges they faced in a new land."

Diane Vecchio

"June Granitir Alexander offers an insightful and well-written study of the multitude of immigrants who entered America between 1870 and 1920. Documenting the many ways immigrants drew on the cultural values of their homeland, Alexander demonstrates immigrant adjustment through religious, educational, entrepreneurial and ethnic community formation. Immigrant life comes alive with spirited discussions of ethnic celebrations, rituals, and leisure time as well as the health, diets, and living conditions of immigrants in rural and urban America. Daily Life in Immigrant America provides a gateway for understanding the day to day realities of immigrants and their families during a dynamic period in American immigration history."--(Diane Vecchio, professor of history at Furman University)

Editorial Reviews

Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1870-1920 paints a vivid picture of the immigrants' path to the United States and their life in their new land. Through historical narractive and primary sources, the author helps readers understand the lives of the immigrants, including their successes and disappointments….Black-and-white illustrations and photos, primary source documents, a chronology, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index are included.” —MultiCultural Review

“Suitable for general readers as well as high school and undergraduate students.” —SciTech Book News

“Daily Life in Immigrant America is a fine resource for college level courses. The prose is clearly written and readily understandable.” —Jourbanal of Social History

From the Publisher

The companion volume to James Bergquist's Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1820-1870, Alexander's book falls short of expectations. Exhaustive in its coverage and modest in its aims, the book brings together the latest scholarship about this classic period of immigration for general readers. It covers the shift of immigrants from northern, eastern and southern Europe as well as the opening of immigration from Asia, paying close attention to the anxieties and prejudices that their strangeness aroused. Alexander creates a tale of struggle, adaptation and success, but also of pain and loss. While Alexander claims to avoid an interpretive slant, she often portrays resident Americans in bad light, while laying strong and appropriate emphasis on the immigrants' geographic, occupational and economic mobility. Alexander carefully distinguishes between the customs and situations of the many nationalities that flooded the nation. Notably she examines the move to Western farms-a trend among some immigrants of avoiding cities. Although an overlooked aspect of immigrant history, Alexander often generalizes from the few particular stories she provides. However nicely written, the work lacks the color and life that it might otherwise have had.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly