The Jewish American: Conquering Adversity
"Here is not merely a nation, but a teeming nation of nations" said Walt Whitman (Lee). The United States of America, now the most powerful nation in the world, was discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, colonized by 1700, freed from British rule in 1776, split in civil war in 1860, and ended the second world war in 1945. Since it's introduction to Western European countries, America has acted like a magnet attracting people of all ages, ethnicity's, social statuses, and religions. Between the 1890's and the 1920's, the vast majority of immigrants to America were from Eastern Europeans countries. Before that, mostly Western Europeans lived in America, along with their African slaves, and the Native Americans. Finally, since the 1920's, immigration to America has been primarily Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican (Lee 1). Although there were Jewish people in America since discovered in 1492 by Columbus, there was not a large number until the 1890's when thousands of Russian Jews started to immigrate to America. Jewish immigrants have played an important role in America's formation as a country and a world power. Many groups of immigrants have received ridicule from American society, but none as persistent, and common as t
Emma shows how the Jewish has been seen: tired, huddled masses, wretched, and homeless. As a result of previously being tailors and shoemakers, many of the Jewish Immigrants became peddlers, small shopkeepers, manufacturers, and factory employees (200). According to Benjamin Harrison, "The Hebrew is never a beggar; he has always kept the law-lives by toil-often under severe and oppressive civil restrictions." The Jewish people fled to America, fleeing persecution, poverty, and privation (Karp 74). In Germany, Jews faced heavy discriminatory taxes, were forced to live in designated areas, could only possess certain occupations, and were allowed a regulated number of marriages (Rywell 196). Throughout 1881-1882, in over one hundred and sixty-two towns, Jews faced mass persecutions in Germany and Russia, which were the first, of modern times (73). Give me your tired, your poor, he Jewish immigrant. The Jewish people faced harsh conditions at their initial arrival in America, and it was in America where they overcame their hardship and grew successful. Unsurprisingly, due to their high educational standards, Jewish Americans are more liberal than other Americans (Liebman 51). These strong liberal views support issues such as a concern for oppressed minorities (especially Black Americans), a passion for individual freedom, and especially strong beliefs on the subjects of sexual morality and separation of church and state.
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Approximate Word count = 1666
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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