1. The Great Wave on Immigration
Chapter 25
The Great Wave on Immigration

3. Emma Lazarus 1880, An American Jew. Poem written after she
had visited a boatload
of Jewish Immigrants
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

4. “The Huddled Masses”
Improvement on transportation makes it easier for people to move around because it was faster, safer, and less expensive
Between : more than 23 million immigrants came to U.S.
By 1920: 1/3 of U.S. population was born outside of the U.S.

5. How they came
Before 1880’s- most from northern Europe By most from southern and eastern Europe arrival of Chinese immigrants After Asian Jews, Catholics, Greek, Russian Orthodox, Buddhists, Confucianists: Increased U.S. religious diversity

6. Italian Immigrants why they came
Escape poverty- too many people for too small an area, poor eroded land. Trip across ocean- crowded bottom deck (steerage)

7. ELLIS ISLAND “The Island of Tears”
Most European Immigrants came to America through Ellis Island in New York Harbor

8. Italians in America
Padrone- a work agent, helped to find unskilled construction jobs for new arrivals ½ of new arrivals sailed back to Italy

9. “Little Italy”
Italians crowded together in little apartments, no privacy, but could be a lot of fun at times. Helped them feel at home to live with other people with the same background

10. Many stayed stuck in low paying jobs
Family closeness:
Some children not sent to school for fear they’d learn English and pull away from the family
All hands needed to help earn money
Result:
Many stayed stuck in low paying jobs

11. Most Italian immigrants where poor and uneducated therefore many looked down on them. Most where more law-abiding then the average American, but some turned to crime to survive

12. Jewish Immigrants from Eastern Europe
Many from Russia which had many anti-Jewish laws Pogroms- raids against Jewish villages, burning, looting, and killing. Went on for over 30 years

13. Terror for Jews in Europe
Between , 2.4 million immigrate to the U.S.

14. Jewish Life in America
Like all immigrates, Jewish immigrants settled mostly in one area. In these areas, they set up schools, newspapers, synagogues and businesses. They did everything they could to keep their children in school.

15. Because Jewish immigrants valued education, they were able to move from manual labor jobs to professional occupations. Some speculate that their success made others jealous perhaps leading to the resentment seen toward Jews throughout history.

16. Chinese Immigrants
1846- Many Chinese immigrants arrived in the U.S. during the Gold Rush.
1882- Exclusion Act: no more Chinese immigration and no longer eligible for citizenship
1906- earthquake and fire in San Francisco destroys birth records
Now Chinese can claim they are already citizens…..which allows them to bring over wives and children from China!
“Paper relatives”

17. Angel Island
Immigration station- Processed mostly Asian immigrants. Usually stay on the island was 3-4 weeks, but could spend months even years!
In order to get off island, required to answer detailed questions, answers where compared to “family” witnesses, if the answer didn’t match, then officials could depot the newcomer.

18. Chinese life in the U.S.
Jobs in China Town: laundries, restaurants, stores, newspapers, herbal medicines Most early immigrants where men which resulted in a decline in population

19. Mexican Immigrants
Come across the border in order to avoid the violence from the Mexican Civil War ( lasted 10 years) They crossed the border without passports

20. It is all about money….for the whites!
Walk or railroad?
Either way will do because they were welcomed by employers because they need workers who would:
Work for less
Work harder
Expand the RR
Work on farms and ranches
It is all about money….for the whites!

21. Moving from place to place were new crops need harvested
Move it
Moving from place to place were new crops need harvested

22. What happens to the kids with all this moving around?
They have no school, they just work …. All the time

23. Housing…if you can call it that

24. Harvest time is over, now what?
Mexicans moved to outskirts of the nearest towns and lived in barrios
They could help each other because they shared
a common church, culture and traditions