Faces of America

The video, faces of America, really opened my eyes to see how immigrants came to America. It was very interesting to not only see one part of the world but many other countries getting to the U.S, like Germany and Japan. It really made me realize what a struggle it was to make it over to the states. Traveling to America wasn't the only hard part. Many people had to leave important things and loved ones behind, not knowing if they would ever see them again. Coming to America was a huge sacrifice. People took this sacrifice for more opportunities. People suffered in other countries. They wanted to start a new life, coming to America to find money and jobs. I also noticed many families would have 8-10 children whereas now that is pretty rare. They would have this many children to help support the family by working and supplying money. It was very interesting to me to see how people that traveled to America like the cast in the Faces of America turned out living a very successful and wealthy life style. This shows that no matter what kind of background you come from if you work hard to achieve what you want you can get it. 

I feel being classified as a "nation of immigrants"is very significant. It shows that you had successful and hard working ancestors. It portrays their success because it shows that they were able to make it to the states, and that they came for new opportunities. Leaving a homeland isn't very easy. Many people who did this had to start their lives over into a new cultural identity, that they weren't familiar with. There was no comfort about leaving your homeland. You just had to be confident in where you were going and that you were going to work to get a good salary. The immigration from many different countries all helped shaped America. Bits and pieces of each country has been contributed to shape the U.S. as it is today. In daily life I don't ever think about my family tree or my connections to my ancestors. Watching this video gave me interest to want to find out where I  come from. I find it very interesting to know the struggles and hardships my family members faced to come to America. Although i don't know all the information of my family tree, this movie has inspired me to research my family's journey to America.