1. German Jews began to come to the US in large numbers from the 1830s onwards, resulting in an immigration of about 200,000. Why did they leave Germany and how did they make a living once they arrived in America?
Some Jews came to America in search of new economic opportunity but most decided to come because of the way they were being treated in Europe. There were many restrictions on Jews because of anti Semitic laws. Some of those restrictions had to do with marriage, opening businesses and not allowing Jews to participate in certain professions. Once in America many Jews found it easier to practice their religion and open their own businesses, many of which resemble what we see today.
4. What happened at the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire on March 25, 1911? What was the political impact of this fire?
On March 25th, 1911 a clothing factory that many Jewish women worked in caught on fire. The women were locked in the room they were working in illegally and could not escape the fire. When the fire department came the ladders that they had brought did not reach the floor that the women were on so many of them tried to jump to save their lives. At this time Jewish workers were about 59 hour work weeks and men were getting paid $3.81 a week while women were only getting paid $1.04 a week. The political impact was that people started to realize the conditions that Jews were working in and how unfair and ridiculous their working conditions were.
A.
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