James Addams, a progressive activist, wrote this document, listing proposals to defend the immigrants. According to The New York Times article, Jane Addams devotedly fought for labor rights and immigrants, even though she was most famously known for her role in fighting for women’s right and civil rights.[1] Addams’ article was published on September 29, 1912 in the Chicago Tribune under the heading “Jane Addams Tells of Progressive Plans to Protect the Immigrants.” The source can be found here.[2] I was looking for documents dealing with the rights of immigrants and the different political perspectives regarding the issue of immigration and I was immediately hooked by the title of the newspaper article containing Addams’ work since it was exactly what I was aiming to find.

Another Chicago Tribune article called “Wave of Immigration May Be Only Starting” the growing numbers of immigrants into America, listing the data collected of the numbers of immigrants coming in earlier years. At the time it was published only a million immigrants were predicted to enter the United States, but it proved to be even more than that. It shows America’s concern and belief that this increase does not stop there.[3] Additionally, a newspaper article in The Times-Democrat states that Washington is trying to propose solutions to the immigration issue since they are stampeding into the nation in large numbers. Not only were the immigrants at a loss, but the rulers of the nation as well. Many come to believe that the reason for immigrants not finding work was that workers were unwanted to work where they applied, but the main reason during the Progressive era is that the nation had an aversion toward these non-English speaking immigrants.[4] Addams is against the fact that the government at the time had been making the immigration process stricter and harder to pass, especially for the immigrants who were regarded as “unfit” to contribute to America; that the government hastily fought to not let immigrants in when there was a high need of laborers in the nation, especially since America was starting to go through a transformative process from being an agricultural nation to an industrial one. In this time period, America began to have anti-immigrant sentiments, and this is what Addams was speaking against in this article. The fact that Jane Addams lived in Hull-House in Chicago is evident in her writing because, in the document, she makes the connection between her experience to those of the many immigrants who have no choice but to live in the small tenement houses. Her experience at Hull-House caused her to be more empathetic towards immigrants since she had been made more aware of their struggles by living in an identical environment.

In the document, Addams provides different stories as well as specific examples and statistics of some of the struggles immigrant families faced at the time, responding to local and nationwide events. According to the Library of Congress, the time period between 1900 and 1915 was comprised of a skyrocketing rate of immigrants coming into the United States. These “new” immigrants, however, differed from those that came before them since they came from non-English speaking nations.[5] In the document, Addams expresses her concerns about the unfair labor force that was unwilling to provide the future citizens with opportunities in the land of opportunity, mentioning that both industrial and agricultural jobs were still needed due to people fleeing the overcrowded cities and those fleeing from the farms to take the jobs in the cities. She also touches upon the unjust working conditions which put the health of the immigrants at stake. She additionally emphasizes how the government only aimed at pushing immigrants into the melting pot but does not help out concerning basic matters. The government officials refused to control situations that should have been overseen by the government since many immigrants had been left indolent, powerless, and dependent.

She alludes to the future, saying that immigrants will eventually become threats to society if they are left on their own in the new nation with nothing set for them to do, being left to degenerate, which will cause the nation itself to crumble. They are only becoming a bother to the nation because the government is not taking action or implementing any organizations for the immigrants; they are coming to America at a loss for what to do.

[1] Addams, Jane. “Jane Addams Tells of Progressive Plans to Protect the Immigrants.” Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), Jane Addams Digital Edition, September 29, 1912. Page 4. https://digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu/items/show/8875.

[2] Knight, Louise W. “The Story of Jane Addams.” The New York Times, May 3, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/opinion/the-story-of-jane-addams.html.

[3] Dorsey, George A. “Wave of Immigration May Be Only Starting.” Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), April 6, 1910. Page 10. https://www.newspapers.com/image/349266823/?terms=immigration.

[4] “Exodus of Aliens: Thousands of Immigrants Returning to Europe.” The Times-Democrat (New Orleans, Louisiana), December 9, 1907. Page 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/166233430/?terms=immigration.

[5] “Progressive Era to the New Era, 1900-1929: Immigrants in the Progressive Era.” The Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/progress/immigrnt/.