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Fair enough, though I would say that there wasn't much of a choice presented to them once they reached our shores because working the rails (or other beyond-men
by mpyne 13y ago
Fair enough, though I would say that there wasn't much of a choice presented to them once they reached our shores because working the rails (or other beyond-menial tasks) or starving. :-/
- zhemao 13y agoWell yeah, that goes without saying. Obviously they wouldn't have taken such a dangerous job if they had better options. They probably wouldn't have left Ireland or China in the first place if they weren't facing poverty and starvation. Course, there was a lot of Nativist sentiment against the Irish and the Chinese that kept them from getting better employment, and that certainly is a mark against the US. But not necessarily in terms of "freedom", as that was a ugly part of civil society and not of government policy. Now, the Chinese exclusion act, on the other hand ...