In the eyes of the early American colonists and the founders of the Constitution, the United States was to represent the ideals of acceptance and tolerance to those of all walks of life. When the immigration rush began in the mid-1800's, America proved to be everything but that. The millions of settlers would soon realize the meaning of hardship and rejection as newcomers, as they attempted to assimilate into American culture. For countless settlers, the struggle to arrive in America was rivaled only by the struggle to gain acceptance among the existing American population.

First of all, between 1880 and 1920 almost twenty-four million settlers came to the United States. Between better salaries, religious freedom, and a chance to get ahead in life, were more than enough reasons for leaving their homelands for America. Because of poverty, no future and various discrimination in their homelands, the incentive to leave was increasing. During the mid-1800's and early 1900's, the labor and farm hands in Eastern Europe were only earning very little money. Those lower wage earners in their homeland were stuck in lowest paid jobs and had

By 1880, 25% of California's workforce was of Chinese descent. Others moved to support the growing need for labor in areas such as mining, land development, and irrigation. Even as they continued to contribute to the country's progress, American attitude towards the Chinese began to grow more strained. Fear, ignorance, and post-Civil War depression combined to create a secluded atmosphere and eventually, a hostile home. As the Chinese population in America increased, many of these settlers came together to form primarily poor Chinatowns in virtually every major U.S. city. These became targets for anti-immigration protests and riots that often resulted in violence. There was an increasing belief that immigrants were occupying too many jobs within the city. Pressure upon these settlers became so fierce that some chose to leave the country altogether, and just like that, their American dream had been shattered. For those that remained, things only worsened, as America grew intolerant of the overwhelming number of settlers. Americans accused the Chinese of almost everything possible such as their language, bringing diseases, enhance the cost of government, and increase the burdens of taxation, etc.

no chances to upgrade themselves. Many left their homelands in search of a better life and soon, word got out on how great things were in America. T

Some common words found in the essay are:
Mountain California, Exclusion Act, Constitution United, Eastern Europe, California Chinese, Gold Rush, War China, Westerners Western, Southern China, , settlers relied, relied indians, peasant farmers, settlers relied indians, post-civil war,
Approximate Word count = 913
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)