People from different parts of the world have diverse experiences when they move to a
new country such as America. As a first generation immigrant, life in a foreign land is not easy.
The paper seeks to present a reflection of the ordeals of an individual from Europe and another
in the US treated me equally. They showed me a positive attitude as they enlightened me about
how the Americans subjected us to prejudice and discrimination. The unfair treatment was
associated with the large scale of Italian immigrants who were moving to America (Vellon,
2016). Despite the harsh living conditions such as overcrowding and lack of adequate food, I
believe they were accommodative because I was their kind as it was hard to trust Americans. I
would not be pressured to pledge my loyalty to a political machine because the American
government had proved to be protective of its citizens only. Its focus was primarily on the upper-
class individuals and since I belonged to the low class, improving sanitation, and housing
conditions would be the least of their concerns. Besides, earlier leaders who had applied this
approach in exchange for our votes had failed to address our needs because they were senior
bosses whom they had to please while in other circumstances, they ended up in jail. Where
workers decide to fight for better working conditions, I would agree to engage in the strike. Most
times, our demands were not met, but standing up to the government gave us a voice, and it
brought us closer to achieving a productive environment. At first, the leisure opportunities were
based on class. The upper segment had amusement parks in the affluent areas they lived that
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allowed them to engage in sports. However, with time dances and social clubs were opened in
America that allowed all people to interact and enjoy their spare time.
My relocation to the US from China was inspired by the desire to achieve the American
dream that was centered on having access to increased opportunities regarding jobs, more
freedom, equality, and democracy. The growth of large businesses triggered the American dream
as it attracted more immigrants to the nation. For instance, it improved the transport
infrastructure, which enabled us to move inland to other states within the country where new
industrial centers were coming up. I can also state that the growth was also favorable to the
immigrants who could not relocate from the East Coast because new industrial centers came up
in other nearby cities that provided them with more opportunities. Leisure opportunities were
also part of the American dream. An immigrant who was lucky to be employed as a house
servant by an individual in the upper class would get to attend dance and social clubs. The
developing transport infrastructure also implied that one could get to enjoy frequent travels with
their employers family. Our dreams were also centered on the ability to participate in sports
either professionally or individually for leisure as the Americans enjoyed watching horse racing
and boxing as a form of entertainment. The Chinese population in America was rapidly
increasing leading to the implementation of the anti-immigration laws (Barkan, 2013). When the
laws were passed, our American dreams were crushed. I was not working for my individual
benefit alone as I hoped to create a better life for my younger siblings whom I had left in China.
In conclusion, when one moves to a new surrounding it is not easy. The Italian
immigrants could not rely on politicians to address their issues, but they engaged in strikes with
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the hope that things would be better in future. The Chinese moved to America with the hope of
attaining their American dream, but it was affected by anti-immigration laws that were passed by
the government.
References
Vellon, P. G. (2016). Great Conspiracy against Our Race: Italian Immigrant Newspapers and
the Construction of Whiteness in the Early 20th Century. New York University Press.