Exploring the Jewish Diaspora in America: A Fascinating Study

Abstract

Summary and Comparison Assignment Diaspora in America: A Study of Jewish Immigration According to David Baroff, all Americans in exemption of the Indians are potential descendants of immigrants (Pg. 54). Though the native-born have long expressed their mixed attitudes towards the immigrants "newcomers," immigrants have always been defined as a national asset whose intelligence and labor became used to uplift the American economy. Immigration started on a low note, with 23 Jews landing in America in 1654 due to inhospitable conditions in countries where they lived, among them Germany and Russia. Baroff argues that these Jews wandered for a century and a half before settling in America, with their numbers increasing from 100,000-300,000 by mid 18th century. Jewish experienced mistreatment and discrimination from the Germans, and life of poverty and fear in Russia led them to migrate to America (Pg.57). Economic depression and industrial revolution made artisan and small merchant intolerable, which led to massive immigration of Jews into America, with their numbers hitting over half a million before 1870 (Pg. 55). Upon settlements, the Jews engaged in trade and successful peddlers then settled in one place as storekeepers and later organized synagogues, hospitals, and cemeteries for their larger community. Since the Jews used the same immigration route, it proved a threat to their lives, thus continued popping into America for their safety as the nation proved habitable (Pg.66). Reluctant Conquerors: America Army Officers and the Plain Indians According to Thomas Leonard, the post-civil war decades saw the completion of the destruction of American Indian cultures. A period of unrest began when Columbus got into the New World (later the United States of America). Based on the article, one can argue that Thomas C. Leonard focused on the thoughts and feelings of the soldiers rather than their deeds on...