"The Foreign Element," February 8, 1855 | State Historical Society of Iowa

The newspaper in Burlington, Iowa published this article in 1855 with details regarding statistics of immigration and lists the jobs immigrants engage in.

Courtesy of Library of Congress, "The Foreign Element," Burlington Tri-Weekly Hawk-Eye, pp. 3, 8 February 1855

Description

This Burlington Tri-Weekly Hawk-Eye newspaper article from 1855 details the statistics regarding immigrants from Germany and Ireland. It gives information regarding the jobs immigrants performed.

Transcript of "The Foreign Element" Newspaper Article

Printable Excerpt of "The Foreign Newspaper Article

Source-Dependent Questions

What prediction does the title "The Foreign Element" lead you to make about the author's opinion toward immigrants? Do the author's words support your prediction? Cite evidence from the text.
Given the list of jobs immigrants perform, what can you infer about the importance of immigrant labor in the United States?
The author of this article says that "The Irish settle in the commercial towns ... chiefly on the Atlantic coast" and Thomas McGee says that "The six states carved out of the north-western Indian territories since the beginning of this century, have been the favorite goals of all recent emigration..." Which source do you think has the most compelling evidence to support its claim? Explain.

Citation Information

"The Foreign Element," Burlington Tri-Weekly Hawk-Eye, pp. 3, 8 February 1855. Courtesy of Library of Congress