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My Immigration Story
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Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed. This is a law that has banned immigrants from China. One of my neighbor's who came to America from China in 1881 has parents who will not be able to immigrate to America. They were planning to come in 1883. -
Russia to Ellis Island
My name is Juliette Kats, and I am from Russia. I am moving to America because there is no religious freedom here and I don't have a job or land. My husband has been in America for the past year starting a farm, and I am moving there soon. All I am allowed to bring with me is as much as I can carry, so I have a bag of clothes, food, a little money, and my favorite necklace, which is very valuable incase I need to sell it for money. -
1st Class, 2nd Class, or Steerage?
I rode alone, in 2nd Class on the boat. I had enough money to ride 2nd class, but barely enough. Luckily, I didn't have to be checked for sickness or diseases, becuase I was sick, and getting sicker. All around me, people had diseases and lots of the men, women, and childeren were catching the contagious eye disease that most likely one person had, and now was spreading. I just hope I don't get it. -
Arrival on the Island
After a year, at last I met my husband on Ellis Island. He had been working on a farm for a year, but when I arrive we will move west to where there is more land. We can have a larger farm there and grow more crops. -
Land of Opportunity
I am some of the first immigrants to move west. In the west there is a lot of oppurtunity. There is more land and space. I can now not only have freedom of religion but I am thinking about working in a church that we might start. There will be many people who I can spread and teach my religion to; I am Jewish. -
Moving In
Now, we live on many more acres of land than we would ever need - way more than how much we had in Russia. We are in the proccess of finishing up our barn, which we have built by hand, and chopped down the trees ourselves. We have a large amount of crops and animals; it is hard work. -
From Sea to Shining Sea
Everyday, lots of men, women, and childeren passed our land on horses in search of land,They carried all the possessions they owned, which was a few bags of clothes, food, and a few other items. -
Work Hard
Today we talked to some of our neighbors. Their son works in a sweatshop, which is a factory where people work long hours in very bad conditions. They get paid very little for the amount of work they do - about $10 a week. Most of our friends and people around us who we work with are farmers or missionaries who work at a church, like us. We also now know many people who had been factory workers or have relatives in sweatshops. -
Seattle
Now, we are free and settled in the Seattle, by the coast. My mother will come from Russia soon, too. Our farm is running great and we have everything we want.
