Immigrant Life in the 19th and 20th Centuries

American was a prosperous country with incredible economic growth between the end of Reconstruction and the Great Depression. It was during this time that "industrial expansion went into high gear because increasing manufacturing efficiencies enabled American firms to cut prices and yet earn profits for financing still better equipment (Henretta 488)." During this era, the manufacturing of steel, the construction of railroads, factories, and warehouses, and the growing demand for technological advancements, increased greatly. Philanthropists, such …

…a luxurious life by taking advantage of time saving appliances, such as a washing machine, attending plays, and spending money quickly. Finally, after three generations of hard work, the life of immigrants in America was taking shape of the original view. It was only after the economic boom in the 1920's and the following depression, which made millions of Americans and immigrants suffer, that the nation once again reunited and worked for a better America.