The Forward

4 Pages 916 Words

Forward: From Immigrants to Americans

“Bring us your hungry, your tired, your poor.” That was a call that many immigrants heard in the late 1800's and in the early 1900's. So they came, they came to America to find a better home, a new life and to start over. They heard that in America the streets were paved with Gold, and that it was a land of opportunity where you could become whatever you wanted to become. No one in America was poor, it was the greatest land in the whole world. Though the reality in America for immigrants was much different. Not everyone was rich, in fact, most were poor, and this was a new Land they needed somewhere to look for guidance. The Forward, which was founded in April 22, 1897 by Abraham Cahan, fought for social justice, helped generations of immigrant Jews enter American life, and was a way for Yiddish American voices to be heard.
Social Injustice abounded everywhere in the Early 1900's and the Forward was there to help the American Worker. One of the biggest stories that only the Forward covered in the early 1900's was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. A very tragic story where 146 women and children were killed when a fire broke out the upper floors of the factory. The Workers could not escape because the doors were locked from the outside, so no workers would leave early. So therefore women and children were forced to either be burned alive or to jump to their death from the 8th floor. What a horrible way to die. These sort of stories were not covered by some of the main stream papers like the Sun, or the Globe, but were carried by the Forward. The Forward wanted to be a voice for the working people. It also covered things such as strike rallies and labor conditions in factories. These sort of things were major contributors to working conditions improving so that people today can make an honest living in safe working conditions.
When the weary and poor first s...