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My Decision To Go To America
Hello, My name is Teresa Richerdson and my families land had been taken by the Irish goverment shortly after my parents had both passed away and my oldest brother had left for her own experiences. I was left in Ireland with no home, no job, very minimal money only 25 euros, and nothing keeping me here any longer. These are the reason's I decided to immigrate to America. -
The Trip To America
My bags were packed and ready to go, I am ready for a new start. Part of me is nervous and uneasy about this whole situation and being alone but another part of me is exciting and hopeful that America will be all I hope for. Those are my thoughts as the boat ride is over and its time for my Ellis Island examination and tests to see if I will be legiable to be an American Citizen. -
Work In American
Once I first got into America it wasn't all I had heard it would be. I luckily got offered to stay in a form of a halfway house with a small rent temporarily until I find something more permanet. Right away I was offered a job working in the chicken factory, it didn't pay much but I didn't really have any other options in the matter. -
Discrimination
I have been living in these accomidations for 3 months and it is time to make a change. I heard that there were a few potential job openings to work on the Transcontinental Railroad in the West and jumped at the chance to broaded my horizens. This is when I faced my first act of discrimination because they assume just because I am a women I can not handle the manual labor. I found this injustified decision unfair and unexeptable and I still wanted to do something more with my new life in America -
New Opportunities
I had heard about the Orgeon Trail faintly through my experiences here and suddenly decided I was going to join it. I gathered all of my saving from the past month at the chicken factory and trusted that I would get where I needed to be. I had been travel for about a little more than a month and one day decide this is where I am supposed to be because a lot of people had told me they were offering free land. -
Homestead Act
I learned more about this amazing opportunity and decided to be a parrt of the Homestead act. A race to claim your own piece of west territory untouched personal land was just what I was expecting out of American and this was unimaginable. I did evenually claim a beautiful piece of land I would be able to do many things with. -
Closing
Over the course of the year I never would imagine I would be where I am. America turned out to be all I hoped it would be throughout the discrimination and injusticifation. In the west I participated in the homestead act and claimed an amazing piece of land that I plan to raise my family on.
