Italians
The challenges faced
The Italians who immigrated to the United States in 17th and 18th centuries faced many challenges. According to LeMay (46), the main problem that Italians faced was discrimination. This scholar says that Italians were given derogative names such as ‘dagoes’ and ‘guineas’ as a reflection of their social class in the American society.
They were only qualified to work in the fields even if they had advanced academic qualifications. In most of the cases, they worked alongside the African Americans in the fields or industrial sectors. They were also denied opportunities of advancing their academic careers. The Italians were also denied some of the amenities such as quality healthcare and education facilities that were available to the Whites.
How they met these challenges
The Italians had limited options in addressing the challenges they faced in the United States. Most of them persevered. They worked hard to ensure that they pleased their superiors. They were willing to take odd jobs because they lacked other alternatives.
Jews
The challenges faced
The Jews in the United States suffered prejudice among other discriminatory acts. They were associated with greed and shadowy business dealings that involved taking advantage of others. The Whites viewed them as people who were obsessed with the idea of getting money. A section of the society also blamed them for the death of Jesus Christ.
It made them unwelcome in some communities, including schools and hospitals. The political class worsened an environment that was already unaccommodating for the Jews by openly criticizing them in their political rallies. The society was very suspicious of their actions. This lack of trust made it almost impossible for them to get white-collar jobs in those early days (Chen and Yoo 112).
How they met these challenges
The Jews overcame these challenges in a unique way. They did not try to please the Whites by embracing their lifestyle. They focused on business and ignored any prejudices that the society had towards them. Most of them succeeded in business. Their biggest strength was the unity they had in solving their problems. They lived as a community where one’s problem was shared by all.
Asians
The challenges faced
According to the research by Gabaccia (73), the main challenges faced by the Asians who immigrated to the United States were poverty, poor health, and limited education. They were employed in the fields as laborers and had no time to go to school. It meant that they could not get white-collar jobs that needed people with formal education. They, therefore, remained underprivileged because they were unskilled laborers. Working in the fields exposed them to numerous diseases such as malaria. Their employers gave limited attention to their health and well-being.
How they met these challenges
Like Italians, Asians had to withstand the social injustices that they faced in the workplace. Some of them died because of the harsh conditions they faced while working in the fields. They accepted their position in this country as second-class citizens but made efforts to climb the social ladder (Alba and Foner 35). In the late 18th century, most of the Asians made a serious commitment to take their children to school to assure them of a better life.
Latino Americans
The challenges faced
The Latino Americans also had challenges having immigrated to the United States. Greene (61) says that the biggest challenge that the Latinos had in the United States was unemployment. Most of them came to the United States as semi-skilled or unskilled laborers. It meant that they had limited choices. The rate of dropout from high schools was also another challenge that the Latinos had. They were also viewed with contempt as people who were a threat to the country’s job market.
How they met these challenges
The Latinos, unlike other immigrant, fought back against prejudice directed towards them by the Whites. Yoshida (49) says that they felt that they had all the rights to be in the United States just like the Whites. They took their children to schools to equip them with skills that would enable them to get better jobs. It has elevated their current position in the United States.
Similar Experiences in the Four Groups
It is clear from the discussion above that the four ethnic groups in the United States faced similar challenges. The most common problem was discrimination. The Whites in the United States built a society where they were considered first class citizens. These were Europeans who immigrated to the country from West Europe during the agrarian and industrial revolution.
They considered other Americans to be of lesser value compared to them. The ethnic groups discussed above did not have access to proper social amenities such as healthcare and education. This was so because the law defined what was exclusively for the Whites and what could be shared by other members of the society. Members of these ethnic groups were poor because they worked as laborers who were paid poorly.
Works Cited
Alba, Richard D, and Nancy Foner. Strangers No More: Immigration and the Challenges of Integration in North America and Western Europe. New York: Cengage, 2015. Print.
Chen, Edith, and Grace J Yoo. Encyclopedia of Asian American issues today. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Press, 2010. Print.
Gabaccia, Donna. Foreign relations: American immigration in global perspective. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012. Print.
Greene, Richard. A singing ambivalence: American immigrants between Old World and New, 1830-1930. Kent: Kent State University Press, 2004. Print.
LeMay, Michael. U.S. immigration: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 2003. Print.
Yoshida, Chisato. Illegal Immigration and Economic Welfare. Heidelberg: Physica-Verlag HD, 2000. Print.