America is the melting pot of the world where people of all races come to live in search of a better life. In the early 1900s there was a large migration of people to the United States for a variety of reasons, from fleeing political tyrannies to wanting to come to America to mine. Although when immigrants moved to America they were not greeted by the Streets Paved with Gold that were talked about, but rather by prejudice and segregation. Immigrants came to the United States to find a new life in many different ways than their old ones, but upon arrival and while living in the United States they came to learn the hardships of life as an immigrant in the United States. Among the many immigrants, the Irish people made up a high percentage of the migrant people. “Many Irish immigrants first came to the United States around 1893 during the Potato Famine” (Doc 1), which consisted of a mass shortage of potatoes, the primary food source of the Irish. Later, around the early 1900s, many Irish managed to escape the unfair high taxes implemented by England, as expressed by Catherine Moran McNamara in this statement "In every war England made you pay her share even if you didn't you had nothing" (Doc 2). Immigration to the United States did not end the troubles in Ireland by the English. Americans considered the Irish to be lazy, unintelligent, and carefree alcoholics. Because of the Irish people's willingness to work for low wages, they were often used as scabs or scabs to break up union strikes. The use of Irish as a crust led to strong nativist feelings on the part of Americans. Nativism, which is a strong favoring of native customs leading to a prejudice against foreigners. Many Americans considered themselves a superior people being Anglo-Saxons or white Native Americans, but they also feared them because the immigrants wo...... middle of paper ...... wanted "I am a Polish Man. I want to be an American citizen ... But my friends are Polish, I have to live with them, I work in a shoe shop with Polish people, I spend all the time with them, at home, in the shop, everywhere” (Doc 7) Immigrants came to America to improve their lives, although they faced many hardships while living in the United States, in the end everything turned out for the best. They came to escape the segregation and religious/political oppression they faced in their home countries they came to America it wasn't much better having to live in public housing and under constant pressure from nativists to become more "American". Coming to America was probably the best decision for many ignoring the suffering, henceforth eventually migration of so many races, religions and cultures in America has made it the great melting pot that it is today.!