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Chicago's Many Cultures
You may ask what type of person lives in Chicago. The answer is simple: every type. Chicago is a city of Christians and Jews, Germans and Italians, Africans and Native Americans, Irish and Asians. Chicago has everyone. Chicago is a major city filled with many heritages and religions from all over the world.
The Irish were one of the first big groups to come to Chicago. In Ireland, a potato famine from 1845 to 1850 had hit, and people were dying from a lack of food. Many Irish left their homes and came to the United States where many wound up in Chicago. There are still many people in Chicago from Irish descent. One of our mayors, Richard J. Daley, had Irish ancestors. Jane Byrne, also Irish, was the first woman mayor of Chicago.
Have you ever decorated a Christmas tree? When the Germans came to Chicago, they brought many traditions, like decorating your Christmas tree. Before and after World War II, many Germans came to Chicago. Some of them opened German restaurants that can still be visited today.
Most of the Italian immigrants were very poor when they arrived in Chicago. They became laborers, working all day. Many had never gone to school, and found jobs in factories and stockyards. Originally, Italians came looking for work; now there are Italians throughout the Chicagoland area.
Jewish immigrants came in the early 1900s. Now many people of Jewish heritage live all around Chicago. A large group of them also came after World War II, seeking religious tolerance to practice their religion as they wished.
The Asians who arrived in Chicago included the Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Koreans, and Pakistanis. The Chinese came in 1840 looking for money in the form of gold during the California Gold Rush. Many made money as cooks and servants in wealthy houses. Now there is a Chinatown where many Chinese live. There, they celebrate many Chinese traditions from their homeland, such as the Chinese New Year.
During World War II, many Japanese-Americans were put into concentration camps even though they were American citizens. After the war, some of the Japanese moved to Chicago after being freed from the camps.
The Native Americans were the very first people to live on the land of modern day Chicago. Once the land became more and more settled, they moved west. Later, some people of Native American background came back to the Chicagoland area.
Chicago is a city of many people, many religions, many backgrounds and heritages. That is why I think Chicago is a great city.