Overcoming Obstacles
Excerpt from A REPORT by the PARTNERSHIP for a NEW AMERICAN ECONOMY:
German immigrant Maxwell Kohl, founder of Kohl’s department store, opened his first grocery store in Brookfield, Wisconsin, his English was so poor that customers often had to make their own change and teach him the names of basic products like Corn Flakes.36 Joseph J. Jacobs, the founder of the 39,000-person firm Jacobs Engineering Group, was raised by his mother and a father who had immigrated to the United States from Lebanon. His father’s business peddling straight razors on the streets of Brooklyn was decimated when safety razors showed up after World War I. Still, the late Joseph Jacobs has written that his childhood was a good one, and his desire to follow his parents’ determined and driven example — and to prove he fit in with his American peers while doing it — made him uniquely poised to scale to the heights of success. Commenting on his experience, he has written, “it’s no wonder that we . . . children of immigrants have become such a potent force in American business and American culture.” |
Maxwell Kohl, founder of Kohl's department store, 1962
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SUMMARY: The excerpt above is a common situation amongst many of the U.S. immigrant entrepreneurs. Like Hugh J. Chisholm mentioned prior, many successful immigrants have persevered through a state of vulnerability when entering a new country. Many immigrants arrive with a "disadvantage--like Kohl did not speak English--and must learn to thrive in society by adapting their lifestyle to meet American standards. In many cases, this disadvantage molds immigrants (and their children) to have a greater drive to achieve success and upward mobility--an element of the American Dream.
ANALYSIS: Many of the immigrant entrepreneurs perceived the United States as a country of opportunity, that offered the "American dream". Upon arriving, most of the immigrants had to adapt the dominant culture of the U.S.--rooted English--requiring: open-mindedness and a desire to work hard in order to thrive in society. Thus, the majority of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants seemed to possess a more profound, forward-thinking, creative nature, that allowed them to spur success and economic development. Throughout history, stories like these, have molded this worldwide idea of the American dream, and upward mobility--more so to foreigners than U.S. citizens. This desire for economic achievement creates national prosperity because people have the desire to advance themselves. As a result, America is extremely competitive in comparison to many other countries, which enables many American companies to be among the top globally.
ANALYSIS: Many of the immigrant entrepreneurs perceived the United States as a country of opportunity, that offered the "American dream". Upon arriving, most of the immigrants had to adapt the dominant culture of the U.S.--rooted English--requiring: open-mindedness and a desire to work hard in order to thrive in society. Thus, the majority of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants seemed to possess a more profound, forward-thinking, creative nature, that allowed them to spur success and economic development. Throughout history, stories like these, have molded this worldwide idea of the American dream, and upward mobility--more so to foreigners than U.S. citizens. This desire for economic achievement creates national prosperity because people have the desire to advance themselves. As a result, America is extremely competitive in comparison to many other countries, which enables many American companies to be among the top globally.