The American Dream

            Throughout the history of our country, the United States of America has often been referred to as the "land of opportunity." Though in some situations this may have been the case, for most Americans, especially in the nineteenth century, every day life was an ongoing struggle. Due to several factors, the US had a hard time living up to the expectations of its citizens.
             The citizens who faced the greatest hardships in this country were immigrants from around the world. Immigrants expected to come to America and find streets paved with gold. They thought that all they would have to do in order to achieve their fortune was chip a piece of gold off the street. In reality, they found obstacles not so dissimilar to those from which they were seeking asylum. Often they could not find employment as easily as the American born citizens. Those who did find work were forced to work long days at a minimal salary. In the book America Firsthand, there is an account written by a woman who migrated from Poland when she was a child. She worked in a Cigar shop in Cleveland, Ohio for nominal pay. The conditions in this were terrible and can easily be referred to as a "sweat-shop." The children working in the shop were worked long hours with occasionally defective materials but were driven to produce more at a faster rate. The owner of the shop was very greedy and unfair. He would look at the work done by the workers and would contest the smallest of imperfections in the cigars that were made. The imperfections would result in a wage penalty even if it was due to poor quality tobacco. As the owner became wealthier, he increased the size of his operation from a shop to a full-fledged factory. The mistreatment continued and the account goes on to describe an ensuing strike organized by the workers. Finally, the owner agreed to higher wages but the mistreatment continued. At the end of the account, the workers formed a small union but were kept from growing due to the lack of "skilled workers.