What Would America Have been Like Without The Immigrants?
By Jabo
@jaboUK (64354)
United Kingdom
February 4, 2016 4:17pm CST
I wonder if there are any modern Americans who don't have immigrants in their family tree. I'm not talking about settlers from hundreds of years ago, but those who arrived between the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century.
Many people flocked to America as a way of escaping intolerable conditions in their own country, but it was often hard for them when they got there.
An Italian saying at the time was ''We found that the streets were not paved with gold, then we found that they were not paved at all, then we found that we were expected to pave them''!
I looked up the statistics, and between 1880 and 1920 there were 20 million immigrants, a lot of them coming through Ellis Island at the rate of 5,000/10,000 per day. I was surprised to learn that there were more Germans than any other nationality, even more than Irish.
Today as the refugee crisis in Europe escalates and all those people are looking for somewhere to go, it got me wondering what America would have been like now if those old time refugees had been refused entry.
I know that a lot of Americans are fiercely proud of their forbears, and many of them travel to what they still think of as 'the old country', where they hope to find traces of their ancestors.
If you are American, do you know if you have immigrants in your ancestry?
Photo from Pixabay
50 people like this
50 responses
@much2say (55669)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Feb 16
There are definitely immigrants in my ancestry as I am Japanese.
I know it was my great-grandparents on my mother's side that came here from Japan, but I do not know much about it. It's interesting my grandmother didn't know much Japanese, but after my mother was born in the concentration camps here (during the war), they all moved to Japan and my mother was raised there til her teens. Then they moved back to the US - though to my mother it was of course more like migrating rather than migrating back.
My father migrated to the US in the 1960s, but other family members migrated a bit earlier - some even to Canada (where there is another sector of family that live there today).
9 people like this
@just4him (317089)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
5 Feb 16
I do, but I don't know how far back they go. I would need to check with the people who have put together the record of my family. One person did a very extensive search. My father's roots are from Belgium and my mother's from Ireland and France.
6 people like this
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
5 Feb 16
Given your geographic location and your Belgian ancestry, our ancestors may have crossed paths. I also have ancestors from France and Ireland. I'm originally from Superior.
But sorry, @jaboUK, to the best of my knowledge, no English ancestry.
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@Marilynda1225 (82789)
• United States
4 Feb 16
My fathers parents migrated to the US from Ireland (my grandmother) and England (my grandfather)
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@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
4 Feb 16
@Marilynda That's interesting - have you ever visited either of those countries yourself?
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@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
5 Feb 16
Very definitely, I do. I'm of Polish stock on both sides of my family tree. My mother's parents both came separately from Poland, settled around Chicago, met, married had one child there and then came up to Michigan to start a farm there. I'm sure that side of the family is 100% polish. My father's parents were both of Polish stock as well, but I don't think either one of them came from Poland, and I don't know how far back it went before coming to the parents that did migrate here.
One main thing different with the immigrants of yesteryear and those refugees wanting to come into all our countries today is that the current even ones want to only obey the rules and laws of their church, rather than upholding the laws of the land they're living on. That, I think, is the major concern.
Also, back in the 1800-1920's there was no welfare system so anyone coming here knew they had to work to make a living. Now people come with their hands out, and we've supported them along with our own citizens.
6 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
5 Feb 16
@jaboUK I hadn't thought of that before, but that may take place here too.
2 people like this
@Shiva49 (26686)
• Singapore
5 Feb 16
Thought provoking, I think America is unique in being able to accommodate the many who were/are able to integrate. It is a melting pot of many cultures and beliefs
Those who seek better pastures should take the initiative to embrace the society they seek refuge in though may retain their intrinsic characters to add to the luster of society. I feel the common heartbeat of humanity everywhere despite the diversity. Humanity should hold the ground above the outward/artificial differences and America is a shining example - siva
5 people like this
@Shiva49 (26686)
• Singapore
6 Feb 16
@Auntylou Thanks for your encouragement.
I left India years ago and half my life has been lived abroad. I had studied in Christian and Muslim institutions and later lived within different cultures and beliefs. What stood out was the underlying thread of humanity - the oneness of humanity and the uniqueness in each of us outshining the darkness when the push came to the shove. People are able to see another as just human except for the very few who cannot look beyond the tip of their nose! They are like what Yasser Arafat said - when I point to the moon, some just look at my finger!
America is one country that brings mixed reaction in most others - they love to hate or hate to love but they have accepted the many downtrodden who are proud to call themselves American. I hope those ideals prevail than what we see in some places "my way or the highway" - siva
4 people like this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
5 Feb 16
There are immigrants in my family as my mother's parents came here from Germany but they had to have Sponsors and a job when they landed at Ellis Island. This was after the First World War. I don't know about my fathers parents. My mother was born here but as a baby her family took her back to Germany until she was about 5 years old and when she arrived in the US she could not speak English. She started school and had a difficult time because she knew no English.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
5 Feb 16
@Namelesss Oh goodness - not right at all! The Irish have their own island to the west of England.
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@Namelesss (3365)
• United States
5 Feb 16
I'm still a bit confused as to Irish and English. In my head they are the same but I know that's not right.
2 people like this
@allknowing (136566)
• India
5 Feb 16
As per my poor knowledge I have about America the original Americans are the Red Indians. 
3 people like this
@Namelesss (3365)
• United States
5 Feb 16
But are you sure 
Many of the 'original' Indians were of European, French and Canadian descent. So not all were Red but white black and in some cases yellow.
Many of the 'original' Indians were of European, French and Canadian descent. So not all were Red but white black and in some cases yellow.4 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
6 Feb 16
My English grandmother came in 1891 and my Canadian grandfather came long enough to become an American citizen in the 1890s and then go back home to Canada. Neither of them came through Ellis Island. Since I am also Native American I would be here even without the immigrants. lol
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
7 Feb 16
@jaboUK I do, I am actually more Irish than anything else but they came in 1795 and the 1840s and 50s so before the time you were discussing. I would definitely have been different and I wouldn't want that. I am also German and Swiss but the German came in the mid-1700s and the Swiss in the 1600s. I am a real mix and proud of all my ancestors.
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@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
7 Feb 16
@BelleStarr I'm sure you have the best characteristics from all of your ancestors
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@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
7 Feb 16
@BelleStarr Without the immigrants you would be a different mix though, wouldn't you? I thought you had Irish in you too?
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@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
5 Feb 16
My immigrant ancestors on my dad's side came to Virginia in the 1640s and on my mom's side to New England in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
I think the concern now, as opposed to then, was the Syrian refugees come from a lifestyle and belief system that in many ways is at odds with American ideals and traditions, and unlike earlier waves of immigrants, these newcomers want America to change to suit them rather than changing their ways to fit into the fabric of America.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (471456)
• Switzerland
5 Feb 16
I know that many Italians left Italy during the years of poverty, same is for many other Europeans. They were workers, they did not cause problems to the local populations. Actual immigration is scary because only a little part of the population are "REAL" refugees and this is scary.
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
5 Feb 16
@LadyDuck According to the figures, out of the 20 million immigrants to America in that 40 year period, 4 million were Italians. As you say, they were workers, as were other nationalities. They had to be as there was no help to be had, or expected, from the host nation.
3 people like this
@Inlemay (17713)
• South Africa
5 Feb 16
EMPTY - that was my first response but after visiting Europe and making friends with a very well traveled British man who married a lady in Michigan - I have learnt that so many places in america stem from European roots - Michigan from the Dutch pioneers, There are so many Irish on the East coast and New York, Italian Mafia, Then there were the Spanish that brought the Nigerian and Ivory Coast pensioners that settled as slaves - Barack Obama stems from that line of pioneers I believe
4 people like this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
5 Feb 16
I have ancestors that started coming over in the 1600's @jaboUK ; mostly from Germany and England but I'm quite sure that there were several more during the Ellis Island situation. One of my ancestors was the Governor of Virginia in 1640. There is a county named after him; Goochland County after his last name of Gooch. My Dad went to England in the 80's and we also have Dukes and Duchesses within our line.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
5 Feb 16
@nanette64 Wowie - should I curtsey to you?
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@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
6 Feb 16
@jaboUK LOL, only if there are others standing in line; otherwise for You? hugs and kisses.
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