The ability of an immigrant to work his way up in an industry at the time was basically nonexistent. These hurdles were very intimidating for immigrants just coming to America.
Americans did not want to cooperate with the immigrants. They wanted nothing to do with them and wished them to just leave. The American citizens gave the immigrants a hard time everywhere they went. No only was it difficult enough trying to survive in what immigrants considered a foreign land, but the American citizens didn't even want them around. Immigrants were trying to survive and make what little money they could for food and shelter. Education was not even necessity; it was only survival for them. Whole families worked dangerous jobs with long hours. American citizens did not care for immigrants at all. They tried all the time to make it hard for them, hoping they would return to the country from which they emigrated. They never caught a break. Life was always hard for the immigrant. Tolerating and working through the hardships was a high hurdle for immigrants.
American citizens wanted immigrants to assimilate the American culture. They felt by having the immigrants assimilate the American culture, it would help rid society of the stereotypes plaguing the immigrants. Although, by assimilating, it would help the immigrants conform to the way Americans live, it would force immigrants to lose the deep rooted customs of their culture. Since America is a melting pot, society needs to let immigrants influence the way of living. Henry David Thoreau once said that imitation is suicide. If immigrants simply copied the American citizens, their presence would never be noticed. The immigrants needed a voice in society; otherwise they would just continue to be exploited by the industrialists. Becoming an active part of society was a hard hurdle for immigrants to conquer. .
Abbot and Roberts shed light on solutions to these problems facing the immigrants.
