The Alien Contract Labor Laws of 1885, 1887, 1888, and 1891 prohibited immigrants from entering the country to work under contracts made before their arrival. Professional actors, artists, singers, lecturers, educators, ministers, personal domestic servants, and some categories of skilled laborers were exempted from these restrictions.

Additional immigration laws were passed in 1875, 1882, and 1892. One law provided for the physical examination of arriving immigrants. Another mandated the exclusion of convicts, polygamists, prostitutes, persons suffering from “loathsome or contagious diseases,” and persons likely to become dependent on public financial assistance. In 1891 Congress created the Immigration and Naturalization Service, better know as the INS, to administer federal laws relating to the admission, exclusion, and deportation of aliens and to the naturalization of aliens lawfully residing in the United Stat

Many runners, who were usually large greedy men, would go on the ships while grabbing

since there was a shortage of foodstuffs except for fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and tomatoes. This led them to flee Italy. They wanted to start new lives in the United States.

that their future in Ireland would be more diseases, poverty, and English oppression.

Immigrants began to migrate to the United States in huge amounts by 1872. A large amount of Italian immigrants migrated to the United States mainly between 1874 and 1920, when about seven million immigrants arrived. Most of these immigrants were from Southern Italy. Most of them migrated to New York City by chain migration. Italian immigrants involved with chain migration posed as personal labor agents and told their family and friends when work was available. The growth of the U.S. gave them many opportunities. They obtained various jobs in the Hudson Valley; most of them worked in barbershops, grocery stores, candy stores, butcher shops, etc. Others worked as laborers and farmers. Many Italians worked on the Poughkeepsie Railroad also. Italians went to Dutchess and Ulster Counties to farm, while some moved to Highland to grow grapes and settle. People from the communities feared that Italians were taking jobs away from them. In 1887, someone from the Poughkeepsie News-Telegraph presented a quote saying, “None but the Italians could or would do the sort of work given to them. The best of them do not get more than $1.50 a day."

went through various hardships, their pride and hard work often paid off in the end.

Some topics in this essay:
Labor Laws, Ellis Island, Poughkeepsie News-Telegraph, Ships Immigrants, Americanized Americans”, Town” Irish, City Irish, York City, Service INS, United Immigrants, italian immigrants, chain migration, york city, hudson valley, ellis island,