Contributed by Emily Ryan
My
Great-Grandmother’s Journey from Germany to the US
Immigration
to the United States from Germany during the mid 1920’s was a high time for
immigration. Nine percent of the average yearly total people
immigrated to the US from Germany between the 1920’s and 1930’s. Also, between 1920 and 1930, 412,474 people
immigrated to the United States yearly. Steamships
were the primary form of travel. The
duration of the voyage to America generally lasted about two weeks. New York City was the main port for
arrival. The location where the majority
of immigrants arrived was Ellis Island.
An important piece of legislation in this time period was the Quota
Act of 1921. This
limited the number of immigrants from Europe to about 350,000 people per
year. The National Origins Act of 1924 instituted
a requirement that visas be obtained from an American consulate abroad before
immigrating, reduced the total European quota to about 165,000, and changed how
the quotas were determined. In 1924,
Border Patrols were put into action to combat smuggling and illegal
immigration. Some immigration records
can still be found today. On these
records, a person can see the name of the vessel, the crew, and a list of the
passengers. These can be used to verify
that someone immigrated to the United States.
For more information about immigration ot the Unoited States, see:
Interview:I interviewed my 104 year old Great Grandmother on her immigration to the United States from Germany. Here is the written transcript of the interview.
Q:What year exactly did you come to the United States?
A:“I came to the United States in 1928.”
Q:How old were when you came?
A:“When I came to the United States, I was 20 years old.”
Q:Did your whole family come with you or did some people stay behind?
A:“I came on my own. I had an aunt who was already living in the United States that I was going to live with. The rest of family stayed in Germany.”
Q:What was Germany like before you came to the United States?
A:“Germany was not a pleasant place before I came to the United States. Hitler was about to come into power. I had been to the United States once before my immigration. I came back to Germany and talked with my mother. I remember that she told me to go back to the United States if that was what I wanted. She told me I had to leave while I had the chance because soon I would not be able to leave. Conditions in Germany were not good and they were getting worse.”
Q:Why did you leave Germany?
A:I left Germany because conditions were bad and they were getting worse.”
Q:How was the United States different?
A:“The United States was a different way of living. The conditions were only slightly better than they were in Germany.”
Q:Why were conditions only slightly better? I thought America was supposed to be so much better?
A:“They were only slightly better because my aunt and her family did not make things easy for me. They didn’t treat me nice and I was having issues finding a job because I was German. I was eventually able to get a job but it was not a good one.”
Q:What was your first job?
A:“My first job was a nanny. I took care of kids.”
Q:Do you remember what port you arrived at? Was it Ellis Island?
A:“I did arrive at Ellis Island but I did not have to stop there. I was able to pass right through because I had family in America already waiting for me.”
Q:Was the Statue of Liberty your first sight?
A:“Yes it was. It was such a nice first sight.”
Q:What did it feel like to finally arrive in the United States?
A:"I felt happy but I knew it would not be easy adjusting. Once I came to the United States I remember I changed my religion from Protestant to Catholic.”
Q:What was the voyage like?
A:“The voyage was rough. I just remember that I was very seasick the whole time. I also remember being terribly seasick when I arrived.”
Q:Did you face any hardships on your journey here?
A:“Well I faced the hardships of being seasick and that once I got here, I was faced with economic hardships as well. My first job was being a nanny and that did not pay the best. My second job was working in a factory and that was not easy either.”
Q:What were some other hardships you faced once you were here?
A:“After I was here for a few years, my citizenship became a difficulty. They made it hard for me because I was German. They were giving me a difficult time. Also, once I met my husband’s family, they were not that approving. They didn’t like me because I was German.”
Q: Was learning English difficult for you to learn?
A: “No. I actually was able to learn English easily. It was not too difficult.”
For more information about immigration ot the Unoited States, see:
"Immigration in the Early
1900s." Immigration in
the Early 1900s. Eyewitness to History, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpim1.htm
"Immigration to the
United States." Economic
History Services. Eh.net, 1 Feb. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/cohn.immigration.us.
"Immigration Records(Ship
Passenger Arrival Records and Land Border Entries)."Immigration Records.
N.p., 1 Feb. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/passenger-arrival.html.
"Timeline." Open Collections Program:
Immigration to the US,. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/timeline.html.
"United States
Immigration Before 1965." History.com.
A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
http://www.history.com/topics/united-states-immigration-to-1965.
Emily, your interview is very interesting. Since my parents immigrated to the United States too, I can understand the feelings behind these words your great-grandmother has said. Although your great-grandmother came in 1928, things were not that different for my parents either. But, it wasn't as difficult as your great-grandmother describes it. The fact that she had to change religions just to be accepted and to adjust easily is, to me, ridiculous; she shouldn't have had to do that. The prejudice towards Germans was very strong I can see. Great job with your interview, and I would love to learn more about people immigrating here from different countries.
ReplyDeleteHey Emily, your interview was truly remarkable. Though your story about your great-grandmother was told from 1928 my parents could relate to exactly what she felt when she arrived in the United States. Unlike your great-grandmother though my parents never had to change religions just to be accepted and I find it absurd to force someone to do that. I love how through simple writings you can tell her feelings behind every word she spoke to you. I could see her excitement as she saw the Statue of Liberty and her sad tone as she described the difficulty of getting her citizenship and how she had to change her religion to satisfy the people. I loved learning the story of your great-grandmother's immigration to the United States from Germany it was truly outstanding!
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