Tag: Immigration

Throughout the month of August, we are focusing our attention on immigration and the role immigrants have played in making Illinois what it is today. Follow along here on our blog and on our social media to learn about famous immigrants and immigrant experiences.

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The Alayu Family Papers are a collection of personal papers that document the lives of an immigrant Filipino family in Chicago during the twentieth century. Francisco P. Alayu came to the United States as a student in 1919, at first settling in Sunnyside, Washington to attend high school. After he graduated in May of 1920, he moved to Illinois, briefly attending the University of Illinois in Urbana, though did not graduate. … Read More

Throughout the month of August, we are focusing our attention on immigration and the role immigrants have played in making Illinois what it is today. Follow along here on our blog and on our social media to learn about famous immigrants and immigrant experiences.

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In the 1840s and 1850s, instability in Europe created a great influx of immigrants to the United States. Many of these immigrants came from Ireland and Germany, escaping poverty, famine, or political upheaval. From 1845 to 1853, nearly 3 million immigrants entered the United States, and many of them settled in large cities like Chicago.

For some Americans, these changes were unwelcome.… Read More