Editing Immigration Wave 1870-1920 (section)

== Push and Pull ==

Immigration to Philadelphia reflected both "push" factors driving people from their homelands and "pull" factors attracting them to America. In Ireland, the Great Famine of the 1840s had created a culture of emigration that continued even after the immediate crisis passed; poverty and limited opportunity continued to drive Irish migration through the end of the century. In southern Italy, agricultural crisis and political instability pushed millions to seek better lives abroad. In Eastern Europe, Jews faced persecution, discrimination, and periodic violence (pogroms) that made emigration a matter of survival. Poles, Ukrainians, Slovaks, and others fled poverty, military conscription, and political oppression. Each wave of immigrants had its own particular reasons for leaving, but all shared the hope that America would offer something better.<ref name="bodnar">{{cite book |last=Bodnar |first=John |title=The Transplanted: A History of Immigrants in Urban America |year=1985 |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington}}</ref>

Philadelphia's attractions included its industrial economy, which offered jobs for both skilled craftsmen and unskilled laborers. The textile mills, foundries, machine shops, and factories of [[Kensington]], Northern Liberties, and other industrial districts provided employment for newcomers willing to work hard. Philadelphia's relatively low cost of living compared to New York allowed immigrants to stretch their wages further. The city's established ethnic communities provided networks of support—earlier arrivals from the same village or region could help newcomers find housing, jobs, and assistance navigating an unfamiliar society. Chain migration—where established immigrants sponsored and assisted relatives and neighbors—created concentrated ethnic settlements throughout the city.<ref name="weigley">{{cite book |last=Weigley |first=Russell F. |title=Philadelphia: A 300-Year History |year=1982 |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York}}</ref>