The Promised Land
An Autobiography of Mary Antin
The Promised Land is the
autobiography of Mary Antin, written in 1912, that recounts her childhood in
Belarus and her journey to the United States in 1894, and her assimilation into
American society. The book sold over 85,000 copies and received positive
reviews. Its acclaim permitted Mary to do lectures across the country, a
stage she utilized to encourage tolerance of immigration to America. Her book
was disapproved of by anti-immigration fighters, who didn’t accept her as an American, and likewise
by some Jews, who believed she disrespected her Jewish culture.
The
Promised Land is the life story of a young Jewish girl who emigrates from the
Russian to the slums of Boston, in America, with her family. Even though living
in the slums was hard, their migrant neighbors experienced many of the same
difficulties and were all willing to help support each other. Mary’s entire
family became American citizens, including her 3 siblings born in Boston that
were applauded for being the family’s first-born Americans.
As
a young girl Miss Antin possessed an innate passion for knowledge which she
used to get her family out of the slums. Much of the narrative revolves around
Miss Antin’s appreciation for free American education and unrestricted access
to public buildings, specifically the library.
The
story is a constructive look at the sentiments of the new American immigrants.
It was moving to realize that hard work and commitment were the only things
necessary for prosperity in America.
Mary Antin
“We are not born all at once, but by bits. The body first, and the spirit later; and the birth and growth of the spirit, in those who are attentive to their own inner life, are slow and exceedingly painful. Our mothers are racked with the pains of our physical birth; we ourselves suffer the longer pains
Mary Antin was born on June 13, 1881 in Polatsk, Belarus and died on May 15, 1949, of cancer, in Suffern, New York. Mary Antin was an American writer and also an activist for immigration rights. Her most acclaimed work was her autobiography titled “The Promised Land,” written in 1912, is an account of her migration and resultant Americanization, as well as the life of Jews in Czarist Russia. Mary’s father, Israel Antin, migrated to Boston’s South End community, an infamous slum area, in 1891, and brought Mary, her mother (Esther Weltman Antin) and siblings over 3 years afterward.
After completing
elementary school, Mary went to the Girls’ Latin School, now Boston Latin
Academy. She wed Amadeus William Grabau, a geologist, in 1901, and moved with
him to New York City where she attended Barnard College and the Teachers
College of Columbia University. After publishing her book, Mary spoke about her
journey to America to many spectators throughout the country.
Mary was a big supporter
of Theodore Roosevelt and his Progressive (or Bull Moose) Party, and during
World War I, she lobbied on behalf of the Allied forces, while her husband
supported Germany. This conflict led to their separation and to her subsequent
nervous breakdown.
Works of Mary Antin
·
Antin, Mary (1912). The Promised Land, by Mary Antin; with illustrations
from photographs.
·
Mary, Antin (1914). They who
knock at our gates; a complete gospel of immigration.
·
Mazur, Allan (2004). A Romance in Natural
History: The Lives and Works of Amadeus Grabau and Mary Antin.
·
Antin, Mary (2000). Salz, Evelyn
(ed.). Selected letters of Mary Antin (1st ed.).
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