Children Immigrants

Immigrant children did not live an easy life in the nineteenth century. Most children were never educated. Italian children immigrants were rarely put through schooling. However, Eastern European Jewish immigrants looked at public schooling as their best way to help their children enhance their potential in life. Chicago, Detroit, and New York City had large populations of Jewish and Italian immigrants. The conditions of the children in all three cities were similar yet different with cities in which they lived in. Jewish and Italian immigrant children had to overcome many obstacles during their adjustment to American life in the nineteenth century.

Italian immigrant’s children were cast into adult life at a very early age. Many of these children worked in their homes. “They ‘take out’ work from sweatshops to their homes, where at times they work twelve, fourteen and sixteen hours a day finishing pants, or overalls, or children’s jackets and knee pants for fifty or sixty cents a day”(The Italian girl in Chicago). An average day of work was usually like this with grueling twelve to sixteen hours. Italian children in the city of Chicago were likely to marry at a young age.

Italian children also seemed to question their father’s authority and their religion. “Children of Italian parentage seem to repudiate the language, religion, and customs of their fathers more often than do the children of other foreign groups” (The second generation). It is prevalent that the Italian culture is carried in their children. These Italian children formed a generation gap. “Though as rule they do not mix with their American schoolmates outside the classroom, they quickly acquire an Americanism which is in violent contrast to the customs of their parents” (The second generation). Italian children often found themselves caught between their culture and authority of the schools and their families. School had a way of causing Italian children to feel inferior to those who spoke English as their first language. Italians who could master English had enable them to break free from their Italian neighborhoods and venture into Chicago.