Introduction - A people of hope

By LINDA MAGNUSSON

When you think of people struck by unbelievable hardships and misery, it might not be so hard to believe that a part of their soul dies with each passing day. But one should know that even if you experience the worst imaginable disaster and survive, there still exists a small light of hope in your mind. Without this light, it would be impossible to live on. So in a corner of every human being’s mind, especially of those who came to leave their countries during the 19th-century, there existed a hope of something better - something new and permanent.
Their hope was to wake up every morning and see the sun rise over the American continent, watch it colour the sky and spread its golden light throughout a nation of millions of people, offering them a bright future of new opportunities, but also to see the sunset and to know that they would be there the next morning. Their dreams would be a reality. They would no longer be unobtainable goals. The European emigrants’ dream wasn’t a new one. It was something that had grown into a concept, which till this day has enthralled people for centuries and probably will do so for many more. This dream which had sprung from the deep of their sufferings finally made millions of brave-minded people set out from their native countries, without knowing what was to come. These people of so many different nationalities joined together in an exodus stronger than most, with only their beliefs of the good faith of God to hold on to. They unconditionally let their lives become caught up in a dream more powerful than most, a dream that would bring them across the ocean to set their poor feet on the shores of the country of dreams. And as they did approach the harbour of New York and the view of the Statue of Liberty holding up its torch, there was nothing that could stop the tears from flowing down their cheeks. However, now the situation was different; the meaning of their tears had changed as their minds filled with joy - and smiles spread across their once sad faces. Even so, though their futures seemed so bright, their fates hadn’t changed completely. There were still many fears to overcome and hardships to conquer. But these were probably nothing compared to the ones they had earlier experienced, as their faith once more rose from a small corner in their minds. Parents diligently fought for a more agreeable future for their children and their grandchildren yet to come, all while struggling to keep their unifying traditions alive. The generations to come blended the American beliefs with the ones from the distant countries on the other side of the Atlantic. Together these traditions formed the American culture of today, and the grandchildren of the immigrants truly fulfilled their ancestors’ hopes, as they not only became true Americans in their hearts and souls but also in the eyes of the nation they had come to love.