Lilly Chambers

ga0007
HON 1000 SEC 509
10/13/16

7 September, 1921--Arriving
My first impression of America is its volume. When I stepped off the
boat onto Ellis Island, I was immediately swallowed by a mass of people. And
as those of every skin color, dress and tongue flooded around me, and I was
reminded of my loneliness. My husband had arrived 1914, chasing the high
wages promised in America1. That left me, his new wife, in a broken nation
with no real identity2. I was forced to live with my parents again, but he
assured me that one day I would join him in America. I did make it here,
eventuallybut there will be no happy reunion.
12 September, 1921Past hopes
Presently I am staying at a nice familys home; they helped pay for me
to travel here as well2. I have been given a small room of my ownmuch
nicer than the one I grew up in. Although it is obvious that I am far from
home, the food and language in this house are my own. Even so, the
barszcz2 is not as good as my mothers. The mother, Ada, is nice enough, but
is always grumbling about the past. She always tells about the protests
outside Saint Albertus3 when she was a young woman. She repeats in our
native tongue: It had to be done!.
So here I am in my room, alone with my thoughts. Being so alone lets
the bad memories rush in. Suddenly I am hurtled back into the past
I am running into my parents home with the letter clutched to my
chest. His handwriting is being crumpled with the force of my gripI notice
this and smooth it out carefully. This is the first letter I received from Aleksy
since he arrived in America. I open it with trembling hands and hope for the
best: that he has found a job with good wages. The first line of the letter
sounds happy enough: Lidia, Ive made it, and it is unlike anywhere Ive
ever seen. My eyes well up with tears as I continue reading. He speaks of
looking for work at nearly every factory in Detroit. Apparently there are
masses of men trying to find work, and most are immigrants as well. When
he finally did find a job on the assembly line, he fell victim to the firing and
hiring power of a foreman4. He was simply handed a slip and asked to
leave. He then tells of the rules

of the Ford Manual, a common topic among workers. He says he is again

searching for a job, and his motivation to find one is me.
So now, as tears roll down my face, I make a promise to myself. Ill
make it here in Detroit, if not for myself than for him.
______________________________________________________________________________
"Polish Americans." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. Ed. Timothy L. Gall and
Jeneen Hobby. 2nd ed. Vol. 2: Americas. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 453-455. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
2
Jones, J. Sydney. "Polish Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. Ed. Thomas Riggs.
3rd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2014. 477-492. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
3
Who is the Church? Conflict in a Polish Immigrant Parish in Late Nineteenth Century Detroit
Comparative Studies in Society and History. Leslie Woodcock Tentler. 2nd ed. Vol. 25. Cambridge
University Press, 1983. 241-276. JSTOR Arts and Sciences II. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
4
The Labor Situation in Detroit Journal of Political Economy. Myron W. Watkins. 10 th ed. Vol. 28. The
University of Chicago Press,1920. 840-852. JSTOR Arts and Sciences II. Web. 12 Oct. 2016
1

14 September 1921New and Old

Today I accompanied the family to the market. It was absolute chaos:
voices shouting, feet stomping, children trying to escape their mothers. I feel
as if I stand out in the crowd, with my old clothes and obvious confusion. Im
not sure Ill ever grow used to the pace of this citythe serenity of the farm
seems so far away. As I was browsing the fruits, I heard women whispering.
Apparently a sort of boarding house for women is being opened soon. Its a
place that will help you back get on your feet and is specifically tailored to
women like mewidows1. At once, I am brought back to another time
It was the spring of 1917, and I have received another letter. I sit on
my porch in my favorite chair and eagerly tear it open. At once I know that
something is wrong; his normal hopeful tone is gone. He tells me that an
army is being formed to fight alongside the Americans5. In his words, its his
chance to be a part of something worthwhile. He says that though he loves
where we both came from, he is also an American now. I suppose he is trying
to shed his za chleben2 label and have a purpose, but I cannot ignore the
pit in my stomach.
The rest is too painful to bear, so I join the others and head back
home.
20 September, 1921--Opportunity
St. Anns Community House for Polish Immigrant Women is officially
1
open . Though it may sound crude, it promises food, a bed, and even
education. The home I am staying in now was never meant to be permanent,
but I am unsure that this house for girls is the best place for me. But then I
remember my options; I have no husband, little money, and hardly know the
English language. There arent very many opportunities for women like me,
and I think back to Aleksy and his job search. He was willing to fight for me,
and now its my turn.
28 September, 1921--Friends

Today is a new beginning. I have just moved into St. Anns1, and have
already met a new friend. Her name is Natia, and we are more alike than
different. Though her and her husband came to America together, she is still
a widow. Her husband was murdered walking home from work, leaving her
alone in the world. She says she immediately left for America after hearing
that the quota was being lifted for us Polish aliens3. After hearing her sad
tale, I am finally ready to face my own loss
It was the summer of 1918, and I lay in the field behind my house. The
sky is unusually clear and the woods oddly silent. The envelope in my hands
is not like the others I have received from Aleksy. Instead of his messy
handwriting scrawled across the front, it is the neat print of the U.S. Army.
Inside I know what this likely means, yet I still need the words to confirm my
guess. Then, there they are: dead, hero, condolences, honor, America. I let
the letter fall to the ground and succumb to the tears. After a while, the sun
begins to set and I pull myself to my feet; its a wonder I can get up at all. I
look out into the countryside and see nothing but the past. Is then that I
decide to see what made America worth dying for.
"POLISH WOMEN AID IMMIGRANT." Detroit Free Press (1858-1922): 1. Sep 18 1921. ProQuest. Web.
12 Oct. 2016 .
2
Jones, J. Sydney. "Polish Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. Ed. Thomas Riggs.
3rd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2014. 477-492. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
3
"QUOTA BAN LIFTED FOR POLISH ALIENS." Detroit Free Press (1858-1922): 1. Sep 23 1921.
ProQuest. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
1

11 July, 1927
It is summer again, and I cannot help but think of what brought me
here. Though there has been struggle here, I am glad to call America my
home. St. Anns and other aid groups had helped me find a job, and I have
married again1. Miraculously, I no longer feel out of place here. When I look
around I see other Americans: Russian Americans, Irish Americans, Italian
Americans, German Americansthe list goes on. We may not have been
born here, but we have made a home here. In some ways I am still the young
woman fulfilling a promise to herself. In other ways, I am a new person. My
heritage will always be part of me, but I am truly proud to be an American.

_______________________________________________________________
"POLISH WOMEN AID IMMIGRANT." Detroit Free Press (1858-1922): 1. Sep 18 1921. ProQuest. Web.
12 Oct. 2016 .
1

Works Cited
"Polish Americans." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life.
Ed. Timothy L. Gall and Jeneen Hobby. 2nd ed. Vol. 2: Americas. Detroit:
Gale, 2009. 453-455. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Oct. 2016
"Polish Americans." Jones, J. Sydney. Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural
America. Ed. Thomas Riggs. 3rd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2014. 477-492.
Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
Who is the Church? Conflict in a Polish Immigrant Parish in Late Nineteenth
Century Detroit Comparative Studies in Society and History. Leslie
Woodcock Tentler. 2nd ed. Vol. 25. Cambridge University Press, 1983. 241276. JSTOR Arts and Sciences II. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
The Labor Situation in Detroit Journal of Political Economy. Myron W.
Watkins. 10th ed. Vol. 28. The University of Chicago Press,1920. 840-852.
JSTOR Arts and Sciences II. Web. 12 Oct. 2016

"POLISH WOMEN AID IMMIGRANT." Detroit Free Press (1858-1922): 1.

Sep 18 1921. ProQuest. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
QUOTA BAN LIFTED FOR POLISH ALIENS." Detroit Free Press (18581922): 1. Sep 23 1921. ProQuest. Web. 12 Oct. 2016