This selfreliance can be traced back to the Mayflower. for those pilgrims came here to do their own thing ... religiously. that is. They looked. to no one other than themselves and their community for survival. The immigrants of the early 1900s. the Greeks. the Italians. tile Serbs. and the Jews. came here for very much the same reason. They wanted the opportunity to work. to marry. and to live their lives without overpowering social conventions and a Big Brother holding their hand. The immigrants brought with them many oldcountry traditions. They settled into communities. where people communicated in their own language. and shared common beliefs. In the communities of our parents. everybody took care of each other.. If your Mamma and Pappa were not available. there were aunts. uncles. cousins. inlaws. neighbors and friends around ta help. This ethnic network would help out if you were sick. or a little tight. for money. The government. for the immigrant. was where you went to get a marriage license and file for your citizenship papers. The government was an entity that you helped through. your taxes. and you didnt expect to get any help in return. but the poverty of the Depression was so widespread that this changed- Families were separated. businesses were ruined. and the government responded by stepping in with needed social services. We all needed the help. but we needed it only until we got on our feet. only until Americans could begin to be selfrellant again.
Keywords matched
immigrant immigrants