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The Significance Of The Private Letter In Immigration History, Niels Peter Stilling

The Bridge

The title of this paper is two-sided. The private letter is an important source for understanding the psychological and human aspects of immigration. It is also important to note that until recently historians have shown much too little interest in the documents from the immigrants themselves. My hypothesis, which I intend to discuss here, is that the private letter was the most important stimulating pull-factor in immigration history. In certain periods a call for USA was put forward in most letter series. Praising various aspects of American life, private letters were written to draw relatives or friends across the Atlantic. …