History of Pennsylvania - Ethnicity and Labor 1865-1945

Ethnicity and Labor 1865-1945

During this period, the United States was the destination of millions of immigrants, mainly from southern and eastern Europe following the 1840s immigration from Ireland and Germany. As many were Catholic and Jewish, they changed the demographics of major cities and industrial areas. Pennsylvania and New York received many of the new immigrants, who entered through New York and Philadelphia and worked in the developing industries. Many of these poor immigrants took jobs in factories, steel mills, and coal mines throughout the state, where they were not restricted because of their lack of English.

The growth of industry eventually provided middle-class incomes to working-class households, after the development of labor unions helped them gain living wages. The availability of jobs and public education systems helped integrate the millions of immigrants and their families, who also retained ethnic cultures.