Eastern Europeans began immigrating to New England in the 1880s and as their numbers rapidly grew, “Yankees”, or “Natives”, meaning here White people born and bred in New England, held mixed opinions about them. Many disliked these new residents and feared they would rob locals of their jobs and Yankee culture would be supplanted. However, there were also those who welcomed and admired the newcomers. In this article, although the immirants are described in stereotypical ways, they are at the same time praised: “They are supplying a necessary willingness to work, which nobody else seems ready to provide. Eventually this will work to our good. If we need the farms better worked, and nobody but the foreigner will do the work, let him do it, fetch down commodities to a more reasonable figure and reap what reward he can for his plans.”
Greenfield Gazette and Courier. “Aliens in New England.” December 7, 1912. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l02-034/. Accessed on November 21, 2024.
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