Description
In little more than a century, thirty-five
million people crossed the Atlantic in search
of a new life. Fleeing from poverty, famine or
persecution, they forsook their European
homelands for a fabled country of refuge and
opportunity – America. First from Ireland
and Great Britain; Germany and Scandinavia,
then in even greater numbers from southern
and eastern Europe, they poured into the
United States until the restrictive legislation
of the 1920s stopped the tide. Millions of
them travelled in sordid and horrifying
conditions. Millions found their adopted
country unprepared to welcome them.
But by and large the promise of America was
fulfilled. These were the people who built
today’s America. Their coming – the largest
voluntary migration in history – transformed
the social, political and economic course of
the United States.
Destination America tells the story of these
men and women. Written to accompany the
Thames Television series of the same name,
it is a fascinating account of European
emigration to America which focuses on the
lives, the struggles and the achievements of
ordinary people. Maldwyn Jones has drawn
on the research and unique interviews
conducted for the programmes to complement
his own authoritative text, and the book is
illustrated throughout with historic and
evocative photographs and documents.
With 130 black-and-white illustrations
Maldwyn A. Jones is Commonwealth
Fund Professor of American History at
the University of London and historical
consultant to the television series of
Destination America. He was born in Wales
and educated at Oxford University. In
1951-2 and 1959 he was a Commonwealth
Fund Fellow at Harvard University and has
since been a Visiting Professor at the
Universities of Pennsylvania and Chicago.
He was a Professor of American History and
Institutions at the University of Manchester
until 1971.
Professor Jones has written many articles on
the different aspects of American immigration
including its historiography, the European
background, steerage conditions and
emigration from Ireland. His book, American
Immigration, was published in 1960.
Hardcover
In good preloved condition with the exception of a partially repaired tear on the front paper dust cover and numerous tears to the back of the paper dust cover.A fascinating book.
256 pages
