Europeans Flood into America (ME) Cameron Pratt

             Between 1865 and 1914 the Civil War had ended and World War 1 had begun. 25 million Europeans immigrated to the United States in that time period. By 1890 more than half of the immigrants were from Eastern and Southern Europe. They immigrated because they were looking for better jobs and trying to escape poverty and social classes in Europe and some of the immigrants moved to escape military service. European states had made immigration easy; the immigrants were allowed to take all their savings and belongings with them. Moving to the United States gave the Europeans a chance to move up in a social class, rather than staying at the bottom they could work to move up the social ladder.
             Most of the immigrants were dropped off at Ellis Island, an island off the coast of the New York harbor, where they had to go through inspection. They were checked for heart problems, hernias, scalp problems, and mental disabilities. Those who did not pass the tests were normally shipped back to Europe. In the states, the immigrants often lived in neighborhoods together and re-created their culture. How well they adjusted depended on how quickly they could learn English and adapt to the American culture.