As I read about the different ethnic communities, the two that stood out the most when looking at race and labor, was the Jewish and Mexican immigrants.
I want to first look at how the Jews handled the challenges and threats to their culture. The Jews saw America as a land of opportunity, freedom and a better life. The Jews were seen as “other” people in Russia and the government was encouraging acts of violence against them. One of the main struggles the Jews had while living in Russia was that they were only aloud to live in the Pale of Settlement. This settlement was an area where only Jews could live together. They were not allowed outside of the settlement. Within the Pale Jews lived in towns and villages that were invaded by pogroms, massacres of Jews and the destruction of their shops and synagogues. The Jews seemed to realize that Russia was not home and that they needed to find a place to call home. That place would be America.
The Jews mostly migrated to the Lower East Side where German Jews had already started communities of their own. The Jews quickly noticed that the Lower East Side was encompassed with people of their own culture, but had an American atmosphere that was fast paced and money driven. One positive for the Jews was that most Jews were literate and were skilled workers. This seemed to give the Jews a little head start as they moved to America. Jews man workforce was in the garment factory, working long hours and harsh conditions. This lead to the labor strikes. These strikes seemed to prove that the Jewish immigrants were here to stay and give a sense of belonging. This seemed to start the process of assimilation. They tried to wear clothing that made them look American. The Jews had to learn English so that they could fit in with the Yankees. Another way they assimilated into America was by changing their names to be more Americanized. Jews were also expected to be white color workers and support their children. One last struggle that the Jews faced was men trying to get accepted into colleges. Most colleges did not want their campuses engulfed by Jews. The schools put a quota on how many Jews they could accept into the college. The Jews tried to continue to better themselves even through their continuous struggles.
The Mexicans also saw America as the land of opportunity for labor and wages. The Mexicans were pushed out of their country by large landholders who were uprooting rural families and robbing the Mexicans of their crops and farms. During this time the Mexican revolution was taking place. This gave the Mexicans another reason to venture to America where it would be less violent. Mexicans found work in construction labor and agriculture in America because the whites wouldn’t hire them in skilled jobs because of their race. The whites wanted to protect their jobs. Mexican men and women who worked in garment factories and farms were exposed to harsh living conditions and wage cuts. This caused the Mexicans to support labor strikes and fight for their right to have higher wages which they ended up winning.
Mexicans tried to fit into American society but the whites would not allow this to happen easily. Mexican parents sent their children to school to obtain education but the whites made sure that the schools were segregated. The educators at these schools focused on teaching the Mexicans to be obedient workers. They did not want the Mexicans to become too educated because then they would have no one to farm.
Mexicans were considered cheap labor and would never be capable of becoming fully American. One way they overcame this struggle was to transform their barrio “Mexican neighborhoods” into a society known as the Mexican Americans. In this neighborhood the Mexicans flew both the American flag and the Mexican flag. In this community the Mexicans helped each other find jobs and everyone looked out for one another. The Mexicans found a way to incorporate Mexico into America and live in a country where there were more labor opportunities and security.
A both Mexican and Jewish immigrant faced many challenges and struggles to maintain their traditions and culture in America. What I found most interesting about both of these groups was that even through their race and labor struggles in America they found unique communities to live and bond with people of their own ethnicity. I feel that it is because of these communities, that the Mexicans and the Irish were able to truly call America their homeland.
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The one part of this that I truly liked was the comment regarding the community that the Jewish and Mexicans shared. I agree that because of the fact they were able to keep their culture together by bringing one another into a community, it helped keep their faith strong. Moving from one place to another in hopes of starting a fresh new life is not very easy as we've witnessed from many of these groups but, I believe that the Jewish and Mexicans definitely showed how moving together and creating communities can help in the process. I also read about the part regarding the changing of the Jewish last names and I have to make a small comment with that since well, I am Jewish myself and my father told me that when my family immigrated here that our last name was too long and not "american" enough so they added "feld" to the end before entering America. I just thought that was a little interesting.
ReplyDeleteMichelle- I agree that these communities that the Jewish and Mexican immigrants made within America are what helped them feel like they could call America home. I wonder however if these communities also added another reason why "whites" felt immigrants were outsiders. In their communities they could speak their native language and celebrate their native holidays but for outsiders this gave them another reason to point out that they did not belong in America. Granted it was the “white” hatred that drove immigrants to create these communities for safety reasons. But from what we have read “whites” were not very sensible in the late 19th, early 20th century so they would not be willing to realize that they were being hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteGreat point Leslie, I appreciate your input.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments on the injustice both groups faced in education. In fact, the two groups had a common antagonist from the prestigious Harvard University. Abbott Lawrence Lowell not only set a quota on the Jewish population accepted into Harvard claiming they have a "Jewish problem", but he also was one of the signitures on the petition to Congress that called for the preservation of the purity of American genetics in response to the increase in the Mexican population.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with both of you. Yes, the Jewish and Mexican communities were a great way for them to maintain the traditions and the heritage from their homeland, but it did also dissociate them from Americans as well. Without these communities who knows if the Jewish or Mexicans would have been able to last in America with the way the whites were treating them. This sence of protection and comfort that the communities provided were exactly what was needed and although they may have threatened the whites more, i wouldn't have asked for anything different. No one would have wanted to face these racial circumstances alone i am sure.
ReplyDeleteWe both did the Jewish and Mexican culture, and we both brought in the points that they made their own communities to maintain their culture. It kept them together and helped keep them safe in a new world that they were obviously unsure of.
ReplyDeleteI also agree when you said that the Mexicans had a much harder time integrating into America. They were not seen as skilled workers or as white as the Jews were almost immediately. They worked for it though, and eventually got paid more equally.