5.+Russian+Immigrants

**Russian Immigration to America** By: Melissa, Mike, Sam, and Zoe

__Reasons why the immigrants left their hometown:__ Immigrants had to have a good reason to go to America. This is known as the "push" to America, or the reasons they left home. They crossed oceans and road in steerage to find a better life. Some of the main reasons that the Russians left Russia to come to America is because of poverty. If the family didn't have enough money, they could not pay their bills and their land owner would kick them out. Also, the family could not pay their own food. Another reason is because another member in their family left. Usually the father or older son would go to America to find a home and a job and then send the rest of the family. Russians in particular where persecuted for their religious reasons. They were Jews and had trouble with other religions.

__How their experience was when they got here:__ Once they got of the long boat ride they were immediately were sent into lines. Once they got to a station they began the medical tests. The main one was to check their eyes. Their was a huge eye decease called conjunctivitis, which is now known as pink eye. The doctor would check each persons eye to see if the had this decease. They had to endure intense questioning and test to see if they were eligible to live in America. If they were needed to spend the night, they would stay in bunk beds stacked three times high. They had small houses with straw roofs or if it had shingles they were usually broken off. When they got to America they had to go through even more poverty than they had when they lived in Russia in some cases. They lived in the tenants that were cluttered and close together. __The Americans reaction when they immigrated:__ The reactions of the American people when they immigrated to America was to treat them like a plague. They also gave them small houses and little pay with a six days week of work. They took some of the American jobs whom worked in the sweat shops- factories because the owners of the factories hired them cheaper. The factory workers whom were fired due to a Russian taking their job they started the domestic strike which ended up causing the Red Scare. More than 500 immigrants were deported on suspicion on the radical suspicion activity. Some believed that they would become rich just because they were their but Americans have to work hard to succeed.





costumes-

Sam- khakis, long shirt, big jacket, snow hat, old tennis shoes, trunk

Zoe- overcoat, shoes, dress, luggage, belt, skarf

Mel Mel- nice, formal clothes

Mike- suit, tie khakis

The Script-

**Bogdan** Gutelmakher **:**(sam) **Zoya** Gutelmakher **:(zoe)** **Dr. Fisher Lucchesi:(Mike)** **Narrator/ interviewer: Melissa**

**Narrator: back in russia, gutelmakeher’s lived a tough life. They were in poverty and barely had a functional home. Also, there was religious persecution where they were living in russia. These Jewish Russians were having a hard life and decided that they should come to America.**

**Zoe: (Zoe is helping sam get through the door. Sam is coughing and looks horrible.) that boat ride was long and tiring.**

**Narrator: Now that the Gutelmakher’s have made it to America, they must be examined by the doctor and interviewer**

**Melissa: okay, name, age, where you came from.**

**Sam: hello, my name is Bogdan Gutelmakher, I am 41, and I came from Russia.( coughing a lot almost after every word)**

**Zoe: My name is Zoya Gutelmakher, i am 38, and I also came from Russia.**

**Melissa: where are you going to be living? Do you have any relatives already in America? Do you have any children with you?**

**Sam: We are going to be living in the tenants in downtown New York.** **Zoe: kind of interrupts sam; We have no relatives here, we are the first from our family to come to America, and no we do not have any children with us.**

**Melissa: okay thank you! now proceed to the arrows so you can be examined by Dr. Fisher Lucchesi.**

**Mike: Hello, I need to run a few test to see if you are eligible to be in America. I see here that you have been coughing a lot, I must run a test to see if you have tuberculosis.** **Mike: does the test and then( the test is mike hearing sam breathe and listening to his cough.)** **Mike: Bogdan you have tuberculosis and that isn’t good.** **Mike: o and let me check your eye. its looks a little pink but nothing to serious for you or me to be worried about.** **Mike: since I have concluded that you have tuberculosis you have to stay here in the clinic until you get better and if you don’t get better soon then you will have to go back to Russia.**

**Sam: no! i am fine i can get over it. I am fine I need to be here in America I can’t be sent back home!**

**Zoe: We must stay here, we are already poor as it is and we are being forced to leave back home. We don’t have enough money to even get back to Russia!**

**Mike: Well I am sorry but i can’t let you proceed because you have not passed the health test. It’s the rules, and you will have to spend the night in the clinic and if you don’t get better in a few days you and your family will be sent back to Russia.**

**Narrator: As you can see, The Russians went through many hardships that they had to overcome. The Russians endured pain, poverty, and being ridiculed because they were greenhorns, but if it wasn’t for those people like the Russians who came over to America. America wouldn’t be what it is today.**

Citations for pictures: [] "'Where the Blame Lies' Cartoon from //Judge// ." Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. [] ItemID=WE52&iPin=AEII16&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 14, 2011). "Russians to America ." //mcguinnessonline//. Dr. Pleve, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. "1912 photo of Russian immigrants." //Queens Tribune//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 1011 Time LIfe Books. //1900-1910// . N.p.: Life TIme, n.d. Print.