Extreme Poverty
Many immigrants who arrived in America during the Civil War had some money and an education. They traveled from their home countries and took advantage of opportunities to purchase Western land or establish themselves in a chosen profession. During the late 1800s, immigrants were poorer and had to settle in factory towns to take the unskilled jobs that mass-industrial growth had created. Unskilled workers also found work as fruit and vegetable pickers on farms.
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The wealthy owned factories and had investments. The middle class invested money in education and training. People who lived in poverty did not have the resources to invest in what was necessary to boost them to the next economic level. Many clung to the values of their home countries, which clashed with American values that helped people get ahead. They settled in urban ghettos where they could surround themselves by other members of their culture.