Immigrants and their children were a majority of the population in New York City at the beginning of the 20th Century, and though restrictive immigration laws drove this percentage down in the middle decades, by the end of the century they were again in the majority. Then, as now, immigrant workers often faced exploitation, and they joined unions to fight for their rights. Living and working in and around Union Square, they often protested in the square, particularly in the first half of the century. Once the protest signs were in Yiddish and Italian. Today they are in Spanish and Chinese and Creole.


Plaque Sources
In Unity
 
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