Over 25 million people immigrated to the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The “Old” Immigrants: Prior to 1880s, most immigrants came to the United States from northern and western Europe. Great Britain Ireland Germany These immigrants helped create many of the traditions and customs that became part of the American culture.

The “New” Immigrants In the 1880s, people from Southern and Eastern Europe left their homes to start a new life in the United States. They were called “new” because Americans considered them to be different than the “traditional” immigrants who came from Northern and Western Europe. The new immigrants emigrated from countries in southern and eastern Europe. Including, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Italy, and Greece. The majority of the new immigrants settled in American cities, New York City, New York Newark, New Jersey Cleveland, Ohio Detroit, Michigan Chicago, Illinois

The New Immigrants: Why did Americans consider them to be different than the old immigrants? The new immigrants were a different religion. Most Americans were Protestants. The new immigrants were either Catholic, Jewish, or Greek Orthodox. The majority of the new immigrants did not speak English. The new immigrants came from a different culture than most Americans. They were used to living and working conditions that were different than those found in traditional American culture.

The New Immigrants: Why did they come to America? During the late nineteenth century, Southern and Eastern European nations were experiencing warfare, racism, and anti-Semitism. The peasant economy in Southern & Eastern Europe had collapsed. Many peasants were unemployed and had to come to the new world for greater economic opportunity. The new immigrants wanted to come to the United States to create a better life for their families.

The New Immigrants: What did they experience when they arrived in America? Most immigrants entered the United States through New York City. Immigrants arrived in New York Harbor, saw the Statue of Liberty, and stopped at Ellis Island. Ellis Island: The busiest immigration inspection station in America. Immigrants arrived at Ellis Island to be examined and checked for diseases. Millions of Immigrants would enter the United States through Ellis Island until the station was closed in 1954.

The New Immigrants: What did they experience when they arrived in America? The new immigrants came to America to seek a better life, but few actually experienced it. Most Immigrants could not speak English, and were unskilled workers. The majority of the new immigrants did not have money, they could not buy a home or farmland to start a new life. Most Immigrants had to live in cities and work in factories that paid them low wages. Racism and discrimination: Many Americans did not want the new immigrants to come to America because “they” were different (different religion, different ethnicity, different culture).

Between the years 1870 and 1920, immigration caused an increase in the number of people living in cities. The population of cities grew from 10 million to 50 million between the years 1870 and The new immigrants faced many problems when they arrived in the cities. Dishonest Americans would take advantage of the new immigrants and charge them high prices for apartments and goods. Many Americans were racist did not want the new immigrants to come to the United States. Many immigrants were unskilled workers and had to work at low-paying jobs (factories).

Due to these issues, many of the new immigrants decided to live in neighborhoods with people that shared their language, religion, and culture. However, many of these neighborhoods were very poor, and called slums by most Americans. Despite the poor conditions, immigrants felt comfortable living in a neighborhood with people from their native country.

Due to their poverty, many new immigrants had to live in tenements. Tenement: An apartment house with poor safety, sanitation, and comfort conditions. Living conditions in tenements were harsh. Tenements were poorly built; most apartments did not have windows or proper air ventilation. Tenement apartments were very small and crowded (large families). Tenements were built in poor neighborhoods (Immigrants had to live amongst garbage, crime, rats, bugs, sewage, noise, and disease).

“Be a little careful, please! The hall is dark and you might stumble….Here where the hall turns and dives into utter darkness is…a flight of stairs. You can feel your way, if you cannot see it. Close? Yes! What would you have? All the fresh air that enters these stairs comes from the hall-door that is forever slamming….The sinks are in the hallway, that all the tenants may have access.-and all be poisoned alike by the summer stenches….Here is a door. Listen! That short, hacking cough, that tiny, helpless wail-what do they mean?...The child is dying of measles. With half a chance it might have lived; but it had none. That dark bedroom killed it.” -Jacob Riis, How The Other Half Lives (1890)

Crime: The rising population in cities caused in a high increase in crime. In poor neighborhoods, street gangs often attacked and robbed people for money. The cities increased the size of their police departments to fight crime, however, in most cities, the criminals greatly outnumbered the police.

Cities did offer immigrants and Americans many great opportunities as they became centers of culture: Public schools & colleges Museums Libraries Theaters Shops Sports fields

The Skyscrapers: Skyscrapers: A very tall building with many floors, elevators, and a steel frame. The first skyscraper built in America was the Home Insurance Company (Chicago, IL) in Famous New York skyscrapers: the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the World Trade Center. The growth of the steel industry, the development of electric power, and the creation of new inventions such as the elevator allowed industrialists to build the cities that exist today. Skyscrapers allowed the cities to “build up” to accommodate rising populations.

Southern and Eastern European immigrants were not the only people to emigrate from their native countries in search of a better life in America during the late nineteenth century. In the second half of the nineteenth century, 300,000 new immigrants arrived from Asia: China Japan The Philippines

Chinese Immigrants: Chinese immigrants came to America to find a better life, however, like most immigrants, they faced very difficult living and working conditions, including racism. The majority of Chinese immigrants who entered the United States settled in San Francisco, California. Chinese immigrants worked as miners, farmers, factory workers, and helped build the transcontinental railroad.

Japanese Immigrants: Japanese immigrants came to America in search of economic opportunity. The majority of Japanese immigrants settled in Hawaii and California. Japanese immigrants worked as farmers, factory workers, and helped build the railroad system in the West. Many Japanese immigrants were able to save enough money to buy farmland in California and grow crops and vegetables. Americans did not want the Japanese farmers to become successful. They published newspaper articles saying that Japanese and Asian immigrants were a danger to American farmers.

Filipino Immigrants: The United States took over the Philippines in 1898 (American colony). Shortly after taking control of the Philippines, the United States invited Filipinos to come to America to receive an education. American politicians wanted them to then return to the Philippines as educators and leaders. However, many Filipino immigrants decided to come to the United States to seek economic advancement. Filipino’s came to America to earn money, and return to their families in the Philippines following their economic success. Filipino immigrants settled in Hawaii and California, and worked on sugar cane plantations and farms.

United States legislation against immigration: In the late nineteenth century, Americans viewed Asian immigrants, as well as most immigrants, as a threat towards the prosperity of American workers. Nativism: A policy of favoring native inhabitants (“Americans”) as opposed to immigrants (People from Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America). The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882): The Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited (stopped) Chinese immigrants from entering the United States for ten years. The Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907): The Gentlemen's Agreement was made between Japan and the United States to limit the number of Japanese immigrants entering the United States. The Gentlemen’s Agreement stated that only the children, wives, and parents of Japanese immigrants already living in American can immigrate into the United States.

Mexican Immigrants: In 1848, the United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican-American War. The treaty granted the United States Mexican land in the American southwest (present day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado). Many Mexicans decided to continue to live in America following the signing of the treaty. The Spanish language and culture became a part of American culture. In the late nineteenth century, a wave of Mexican immigrants settled in the American Southwest in search opportunity. These Mexican immigrants found work in the Southwest as miners and farmers.

At the end of Reconstruction, African Americans were abandoned by the federal government and faced violence and death in the South. Southern states passed Jim Crow Laws to legally segregate African Americans from the white population. Southern states also passed laws that prevented most African Americans from being able to vote (literacy tests, poll taxes, and the grandfather clause). African Americans were not allowed to receive a good education or a good job in the Jim Crow South. Any African American who protested against what was happening in the South was killed.

Migration: A movement of people within a country or a certain area. Many African Americans moved to the North to escape racism and violence in the South. 200,000 African Americans moved from the South to the North between 1890 to “The Great Migration” ( ): 1.6 million African Americans move from the rural south to northern cities(Chicago, Detroit, New York City).

Life for African Americans in the North. African Americans still faced racism and discrimination once they arrived in the North. Many business owners refused to hire African Americans. African Americans who did receive jobs were given the worst jobs. African Americans were not allowed to live in white neighborhoods.

The Fight for Equal Rights: Plessy v. Ferguson: In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in places of public accommodation was legal (railroad cars, schools, restaurants, movie theaters, hotels, etc.), as long as the facilities were “separate but equal.” African Americans continued to fight for equal rights despite widespread racism and discrimination in the North and South. African Americans leaders opened universities and trade schools to allow African American students the opportunity to gain an education and advance themselves in society. Howard University (1867) Hampton Institute (1868) Tuskegee Institute (1881)

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) In 1909, African Americans and white Americans formed the NAACP. The NAACP was formed to help African Americans gain equal rights in America. The NAACP was committed to ending racism and discrimination in the housing market, the workplace, and in education.

Born in Virginia as a slave in Educated himself while working as a janitor. In 1881, he created the Tuskegee Institute to educate African Americans. At first, the institute focused on training African Americans to be teachers, farmers, laborers. Washington believed African Americans had to gradually achieve equality. Equality could not be achieved overnight, rather, African Americans had to work towards it by self-improvement. “Self-Improvement:" He believed African Americans had to concentrate on learning useful skills that could help them earn a higher paying job (become skilled workers) and achieve social and economic advancement.

Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts in Despite being born into poverty, Du Bois worked towards educating himself. In 1895, Du Bois became the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University. Du Bois wanted African Americans to achieve full equality in America as soon as possible (end segregation and their status as second-class citizens). He disagreed with Washington that it had to be a gradual process. Du Bois believed that African Americans should not settle for trade jobs, instead, they should seek full equality: earn a college education, create their own businesses, and establish their own universities and newspapers. Du Bois was a participant in the Niagara Movement, and a national officer in the NAACP, and editor of its journal, (magazine) The Crisis.

What did we learn from the unit on cities & immigration? How did Americans treat immigrants? What were living conditions and working conditions like for immigrants? How did racism and discrimination affect immigrants & African Americans? Were you surprised that racism and discrimination existed in the North?