Essay One, Option B: Immigration and Progressives Hilda Satt Polacheck, born in Poland, immigrated to the United States in 1891 with her family in order to avoid the Russian army. Holding onto their Jewish religious beliefs, the family settled into a neighborhood near the Hull House, a settlement house where migrants could seek help and receive services when they entered the country. In Polacheck’s memoir about her life reflecting on the time period, it portrays progressives as social reformers who acted on behalf of immigrants in their actions towards improving public health and education. In general, Progressives identified themselves as optimistic that socio-economic conditions could be improved through civic activism and proper government…show more content… It did not matter what your characteristics were, what country you came from, what language you spoke, etc, everyone was allowed to endure. The services provided grew over time as more immigrants came and more volunteers brought their teachings. These classes included learning English and taking dance lessons all the way to just stopping in for sanitary reasons, such as needing a hot bath. “Hilda’s way of forging an American identity out of her roots as a middle-class Polish Jew was through education, a route she was able to pursue because of the Hull-House.” (Bissell Brown, 75-76) further proves the purpose of simply helping struggling immigrants make something of their new lives. After moving to America and her father’s passing, Hilda had to work full-time to provide for her mother and siblings, so finding the Hull House was her only way to escape the boring and dreadful work environment as Jane Addams got her involved in a lot of the services, activities, and classes provided. After showing so much potential, she was offered a scholarship to attend the University of
