The Huddled Masses: The Immigrant in American Society, 1880-1921

by Alan M. Kraut

This history of the "new immigration" weighs the many factors that prompted the decision to leave the old world. Though the designation "new immigrant" generally refers to southern and eastern Europeans only, this volume also includes the Chinese and Japanese who arrived in the period from 1880-1921. Kraut argues that immigration to America was but one of the many choices available to the immigrants, and that individual aptitude and desires were just as influential as cultural, social, and familial pressures to find a better life. The immigrants' impact on America and their new countrymen is also considered. This title includes a very good, 32-page photographic essay.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Brandon Didat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Features a lot of random anecdotal information that I enjoyed greatly. Also has a lot of good data and tables for research purposes. Book reads a tad like a textbook but the myriads of information given always kept me intrigued. You gain a strong understanding of general immigration during the time period, but you also get a lot of specialized information on regions of the U.S., ethnicities, and labor.

[Louis Spirito · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful look at the immigrants who transformed 20th Century America. You'll come away realizing that today's immigrant 'issue' is hardly unique, and that we're all more alike than not.

[Christine Walsvick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good information, but boring to me.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good information here, but the organization is frustratingly unclear.