The Uprooted by Oscar Handlin - Book Report/Review Example

The Immigrant Oscar Handlin has been celebrated as one of the most iconic scholars in the history of the United States, as he was able to incorporate both emotions and facts in most of his historical works. In his book The Uprooted, Handlin takes his readers through the demanding and treacherous journey that most of the immigrants underwent while on their way to the United States (Handlin, 2002). Handlin attests that the percentage of registered immigrants to the U.S escalated from 1800 to 1920 with most of them coming from Northern and Eastern Europe.

According to Handlin, the immigrants, whom he occasionally refers to as peasants in his text were prompted to leave their various homes because of economic hardships, outbreak of diseases, political instability, over population among others. The immigrants did not leave their religion in the course of their journey; instead, they carried it with them everywhere they went, as they depended on their faith to help them maintain commitment in the course of the immigration process (Handlin, 2002).

Additionally, they depended on religion to act as a platform for cultural continuity following the distress of international migration. Upon arriving in the United States, the immigrants rebuilt their conviction by embracing religious practices that were in line with their cultural beliefs. In a situation where immigrants failed to find a church that was in line with their beliefs, they took it upon themselves to construct churches of their own. According to (Handlin, 2002), the immigrants were similarly prompted to rebuild their religion, as they became strangers in a foreign land, an event brought about by the loss of familiar sounds, sights and even smells.

Consequently, they could not take for granted the thought of hearing an individual speak in their native language. Apart from the emotional connection that the immigrants derived from prayers in their native language, they viewed institutions such as churches as sources of empowerment, given that most of them found it difficult to make quick inroads in as much as the United States registered rapid industrialization within that duration. According to Handlin, the immigrants similarly found it easy to rebuild their faith due to religious freedom, as there was no law that made it mandatory for them to embrace a specific religion.

Oscar Handlin uses the word outsiders to refer to immigrants who have migrated into the United States, but have not settled in fully to the American way of life, implying that they carry out most of their activities on their own. On the other hand, insiders refer to immigrants who have fully embraced the American way of life, and take part in activities that involve people of different cultural beliefs (Handlin, 2002). Both insiders and outsiders used the American way of democracy to their advantage, as their leadership ascended to power through elections unlike in their old nations where there was a lot of political instability, and the established order used the power they wielded as a tool of oppression.

Over and above, immigration to the United States has made most immigrants find a level playing field and bring the best out of themselves. ReferencesHandlin, O. (2002). The uprooted. Philadelphia, Pa: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press.