The previous story of Moses Jackson gave me a great insight into the dilemma of immigrants, no matter where in Europe they came from. Many, who were skilled, or semiskilled workers found it difficult to adapt them into American culture well enough to make a living, and felt forced to work in mines that had worse health conditions than mines in the "old country" Just to feed their families. They found themselves sinking in what had become a much more competitive environment that they had envisioned. I don't think in coming to America, the Jacksons ever saw themselves caught up in the illness and lowest social status that the coal mines of America provided.
People come to America with dreams, some are modest, some are overwhelmingly over the top, but America was still the land of dreams for many in Europe, and Great Britain.
Nobody expected to come here to be a second rate citizen. Everybody thought prosperity was a given, in the spirit of support and cooperation. But the truth was, every culture, whether they be European, British or other, met with great loss of personal dignity, and mistrust of any other incoming culture but their own, and were entered into a viciously competitive game of "King/Queen of the Hill"
This seems to be a flaw American legacy that is passed down from one generation to another, and somehow this needs to be resolved in order for us to move on as a country.
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