Millions of people have come to America seeking a different life than the one they had in their
home country. The storied lives of these immigrants fill copious volumes of literature each
volume with its own interpretation of history. In documenting the history of immigrants in
America through the lens of their newspapers this groundbreaking book offers a new
interpretation illuminating how ethnic presses in America helped to shape the American Dream.
Moreover the book shows how the ethnic press continues to reshape this dream as its function
has changed from one of acculturation to assimilation to cultural pluralism targeted at the
immigrant audience. The similarities between the newspapers whether they were sojourner
political religious or literary in form provide a fresh perspective on the shaping of the
American Dream.
