The nineteenth century in the US had an unmistakable theme: immigration. Over 20 million immigrants, mostly European, came to the United States between 1820 and 1900. They came for a variety of reasons. Most migrated to the US due to the suffering economies of their native countries, where work was very difficult to find. Some fled religious and cultural persecution. Many immigrants decided to move because of the opportunities they had heard abounded in the US. Some immigrants felt there was nothing left for them in their native countries. Once they arrived in the US, the immigrants were seen as second class citizens by the vast majority of US citizens. The culture that they brought to the US wasn't always openly accepted. The flood tide of Europeans also overwhelmed the limited charitable services available at the time. Immigrants migrated to America for the opportunity to build a better life for themselves but found great hardship in horrible working and living conditions, with which great pride can be taken through their determination and efforts to stay true to their origins.
Immigrants came to the US expecting a higher standard of living but quickly understood the reality of the situation. The vast majority of immigrants, who lived in cities, lived in tenements. These were apartment buildings that were shabbily constructed and contained extremely small apartments. Twenty four to thirty two families were packed inside these six to eight storey structures, often referred to as dumbbell buildings due to the air shaft between the buildings that made them look like dumbbells from .
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above. The residents were highly susceptible to disease, and life expectancy was significantly lower, by about 10 years, in these areas. Up to 4,000 people lived on some city blocks. Families had one, maybe two, small rooms. They had no privacy as the walls were thin as well.
The East European Jews primarily worked in the garment industry in Chicago.