From Plotzk to Boston

Mary Antin (1881-1949) was an American author and immigration rights activist. Born to a Jewish family in Polotsk, she immigrated to the Boston area with her mother and siblings in 1894. She later moved to New York City where she attended Teachers College of Columbia University and Barnard College. Antin is best known for her 1912 autobiography The Promised Land, which describes her assimilation into American culture. After its publication, Antin lectured on her immigrant experience to many audiences across the country, and she became a major supporter for Theodore Roosevelt and his Progressive Party. Amongst her other works are From Plotzk to Boston (1899), They Who Knock at Our Gates (1914) and At School in the Promised Land (1928).