Wretched Masses.

They had a dream. Some of them sought to escape deadly persecution. Others left behind stagnant economies and failing nations. Many came to avoid famine and starvation. A few were seeking better educational opportunities, and once here, decided to stay. They came here for a variety of reasons, but they shared a common thread…freedom. Whether it was economic liberty, political freedom or just to experience the opportunity to make personal choices, they sought the fresh air of freedom. Ellis Island was a launching point for many. Their first steps in their new lives were on the sacred ground of that little patch of terra firma in the harbor. As they shuffled through the lines of others who were sharing their dreams, they basked in the shadow of Lady Liberty…a massive symbol of hope and new beginnings.


Although their eyes and their dreams were focused on the new land and their new lives, for many their hearts were still captive in the homes that they left behind. Communities, cousins, friends and perhaps siblings, parents or even spouses and children were there waiting, anticipating the letter from the new land that would change their lives too. The dreams of the travelers drove them forward, but their love and their hearts looked back. They continued to long for the land that they had abandoned, but cherished the hope and promise of their new location. Those who were the first of their families to arrive often had to take menial employment merely to survive. As their families joined or were born to them, they taught their offspring about the amazing opportunities available to them in this amazing nation.

The second generation of immigrants used the experience of their parents to vault forward into property ownership and small business success. They maintained the work ethic of their parents and added the benefit of being truly American in their attitudes and preferences. On occasion their thoughts would linger on the land of their parents, but they thought of themselves as Americans. They prospered and sent their children to college. After graduating, some of the third generation returned to the family enterprises while others scattered throughout the country. They married people who did not grow up in the old neighborhood, and the ties to the “old country” were weakened.

More than 17 million people trudged through the processing queues on the island. In many cases the generational changes in the family structure mirror those we have described here. Liberty and freedom…possess a magnetic attraction that draw people from the world, away from kith and kin, to a new land…a land where dreams can come true. Today, those dreams, the yearnings for freedom are endangered. The government that seems to grow exponentially is suffocating the dreamer’s hopes. In the old countries a serf remained a serf. A cobbler and his heirs would always be cobblers. Here and now the state becomes increasingly intrusive into our daily lives. What can we become? What have we become? What is to become of us? Will we see the vision and take the risk that those first generation immigrants did? Do we have the courage to help this nation return to its roots? Do we? Really, do you?

Comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com