Unfortunately, since the time America began being colonized by the British, settlers showed they were adverse to anything new or different. The trend continued as native-born Americans continued to tend the land, waging a war against Native Americans, otherwise known as Indians . Native-born Americans further showed their intolerance for others, as well as how susceptible the country’s population was to stereotypes when they began partaking in the slave trade in Africa in an effort to jumpstart the nation’s farming industry. It was no surprise, then, when between 1880 and 1924, political and comedic efforts were made to smear Eastern European Jewish immigrants.
One particular cartoon, meant in jest, but fueled by hate and politics stands out for its time. It depicts a ship full of Jewish travelers. Many have stereotypically large noses and bushy eyebrows and mustaches. The masts and sails of the ship are filled with travelers, as if to suggest every Eastern European Jew is fleeing Europe for American soil, when obviously this was not true during this time. The writing on the ship is in Hebrew in order to divide the travelers farther from their home. The comic is headed with the line, “The ‘New Trans-Atlantic Hebrew Line’” but the script at the bottom is far more telling. It reads: “For the exclusive use of the persecuted,” which for the time is not only telling, but also insulting.
The entirety of the Jewish population was unwanted by the American public, which is typical in the U.S. when an influx of immigration is seen. The stereotype that they were persecuted, as if they had never been through any injustice or were sampling whining was unfounded. Many historical instances, beginning in ancient Egypt document the Jews being held as slaves and insubordinates. They had, indeed, been persecuted. They did not have affirmative action to guarantee jobs or public assistance to aid their pregnancies and unemployment. Instead, they helped themselves through education and backbreaking labor. Many immigrant populations and minorities were kept down easily based simply on their immigration status, but the Jewish community was not so easily silenced, and native-born Americans were irrationally irritated by this. It was something they had never encountered before. Used to being in total control of everybody in the country, even the Native Americans, political cartoons took to stereotyping and slandering the community in an effort to gain the upper hand. Stating the Jewish community was only coming to America to seek refuge, while ignoring the toil and struggle the immigrants had gone through in order to establish themselves in America was the only degradation native-born Americans were left with.
In sum, the stereotypical branding native-born Americans attempted to slap on Eastern European Jews was nothing short of ironic. They came to this country unwanted, and received no help. In fact, the persecution mentioned in the comic was born at the hands of the native-born Americans themselves. The initial hard work put in by several generations of Jewish immigrants is nothing short of the original American dream, but this is ignored in the comic. Instead, it is used as political abuse in an effort to paint the Jewish community as large-nosed freeloaders, interloping on a country that did not invite them. America forgets it is a country built upon the backs of immigrants, and is quick to stereotype any that seek refuge, a new home, or a new beginning, stating they are simply looking for a “free ride.” If any group is not guilty of this, however, it is the Jews
Works Cited
Takaki, Ronald. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown & Company, n.d. Print.
