Early Immigrant Issues in America

Immigration has been a part of the fabric of American society since before there was even an official "United States of America". Individuals from various nations, ethnic, and religious groups founded the original colonies, and over time the "melting pot" of American society began to form its own culture. Overall, this "melting pot" was crucial to establishing the United States as a recognizable power in the world scene. Despite this, there was an underbelly to this nation of immigrants' children that no longer looked so kindly on the new immigrants who were beginning to stream into the country from around the world. Each group of people had varying experiences within this and as seen in "Life of a Chinese Immigrant" by Lee Chew and in "Immigrant Letters" by the Raczkowski family, everyone had their own obstacles to overcome.

Lee Chew was born in the province of Canton in China, and had heard many tales about Americans. At the time, a treaty had been signed between China and the United States that was intended to open up the flow of trade between the two countries. According to Chew, "the American foreign devils...broke the treaty that they had asked for by shutting the Chinese out of their economy". Despite this, he relates the tale of another man who left China in poverty and returned "with unlimited wealth". It is at this point that Chew decides to go and make his fortune in "the country of the wizards".

Chew uses the laundry industry as his vehicle towards his goal of gaining wealth in America. Since gaining some of America's wealth seems to be his primary goal, he sets to work diligently and begins to learn both English and his trade very well. He seems to be at a disadvantage at first since "there are no laundries in China", but learns the trade from American women. Over time he progresses from earning $3.50 a week to $5.00 a week and is eventually able to own his own laundry at various points in his life. Chew says that "Chinese are such excellent and faithful workers that bosses will have no other". That sentiment seems to work in his favor, but at one point the jealousy and racism of miners causes him to lose his laundry and almost his life.

The experiences of the Raczkowski family in the United States seem to be a stark contrast to that of Lee Chew. Adam Raczkowski immigrated to Delaware in 1904 to live with his brother and was able to obtain factory work. The industry that he worked in provides a glimpse into the life of such immigrants, as he states in his June 25^th 1904 letter "all factories are stopped and there is no work until they elect the president". This seems to be a recurring theme in the letters of these family members to their parents and sister in Poland. In his January 28,1907 letter, he talks about how the factory he was working in was burned down and by the time his June 3^rd letter is written, the bleak conditions of these immigrants becomes very evident when he says that during the two years he was working in the factory "I had money, and now I earn hardly enough to live". As time progresses into 1908, he says that all the factories are closed and there is no work. However, his February 25. 1910 letter Adam is in better spirits and has just been married.

The stories of Lee Chew and Adam Raczkowski do hold some similarities in their experiences, but overall, there is a stark contrast evident at the time between the lives of Chinese and Polish immigrants. The Chinese seem to be at the advantage since their reputations as hard workers gain them preferential hiring by employers in such trades as laundry. Their location in the western sections of the United States seem to be advantageous as well. Polish immigrants appear to be concentrated in the eastern United States where industry is the prevalent means of income. This leaves them open to fluctuations in the U.S. economy. A good example is when Adam Raczkowski says that all the factories are closed, once because the presidential election is coming and another time because misery is expected when a Democrat is elected. Polish immigrants also seem to have a focus on getting married and having a family while the Chinese work hard to be successful.

These experiences in many ways mirror that of immigrants today, but there are now many more opportunities for work other than laundries and factories. Mexican immigrants find work in the farms, factories, and many service and business industries. European and Asian immigrants find work in the business world as well as the service industries. Overall, the United States is a more diverse society, but the separations that once defined immigration in society still exist in some ways, whether it be self-imposed or otherwise. In this sense the stories of Lee Chew and the Raczkowski family still hold relevance even in the 21^st century. The lesson of these immigrants and others to come still show that the life of an immigrant in the United States is hard.

Sources
Lee Chew, Life of a Chinese Immigrant (1903)
Adam Raczkowski, Immigrant Letters (1904)